


Seasons in the Sun

by hubluhbluhbluhbleh



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Bucky and Wanda are partners, Detective Sam, Detective Wanda, F/M, Lots of Angst, Mystery, Sam is the third wheel, Slow Burn, Steve and Natasha are in need of help, buddy cop story, detective bucky, i'll add more tags as i write
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2018-12-10 22:51:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11701530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hubluhbluhbluhbleh/pseuds/hubluhbluhbluhbleh
Summary: Detective Barnes and his partner, Detective Maximoff, are on the case when the child of their best friends winds up being kidnapped one summer day.





	1. Night Off: August 3, 2017

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all like this story! I got the title from a Terry Jacks song, so I thought I should claim that I don't own the rights to it not did I make the song. The song just makes me cry, but it's a good song. Enjoy!

"Of neighborhoods, benevolence is the most beautiful. How can the man be considered wise who when he had the choice does not settle in benevolence." -Confucius

I like to sit outside and wave to the people who drive passed me. Almost all of them wave back at me and those who don't wave pretend they don't see me sitting outside. Does it make me feel like an idiot? Well. Would it you? I really like beautiful days like this. There is not a cloud in the sky, which is so blue you feel like you could get lost in it. If it weren't for the chirping of the birds or the kicking of the crickets, I would get lost. I would disappear in that large blanket of blue above me. It's only when that bright blue fades away to orange and pink and purple that I decide that it's time to go to bed.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 3, 2017  
Time: 8 pm  
Location: Rogers Residence

James Barnes is handed a bottle of beer by his best friend, Steve Rogers. They pop the lids off and clink to a good night off. Steve and James, better known to Steve as Bucky, have been best friends since forever ago, so it kind of surprised everyone when they went to separate colleges to pursue different careers considering the two had been inseparable their whole lives, and they had similar interests. But that's just how life goes. When time came for Steve and Bucky to choose what they wanted to do with their lives, Steve chose to be a teacher, and Bucky chose to be a cop. He started at the bottom just like a lot of people do when they first enter the police force, but he worked his ass off to earn the title he now has. Detective James Barnes with the Brooklyn Police Department. He doesn't have to wear those uncomfortable uniforms anymore, although, he did get a lot of phone numbers from women who have found him particularly attractive in his uniform. He could wear whatever he wanted and blend in to any surroundings.

Wanda Maximoff walks in the kitchen with the two boys and grabs her own beer. She takes a sip and raises her eyebrows at Steve and James who are staring at her.

Wanda is James' partner. They met each other in the police academy and became friends after Wanda had to help James with firearms training and self defense. He snuck up behind her one night and immediately found his face being pressed against the ground to which James' response was, "Whoa! Can you teach me that?" After they graduated, they found themselves being partnered together a lot. Together, they would patrol the city every night in a squad car before they would both be promoted at the same time. It was then that they figured they could be partners as they climbed the law enforcement chain, so they helped each other until they were both promoted to detective. When asked if they wanted a partner they both replied with a firm 'yes'. When ask who they wanted a partner, they didn't hesitate to recommend each other. And here they are.

"Why are you both staring at me? It's only my second beer," Wanda says earning a chuckle from Steve.

"Sorry. We thought you were Natasha," Steve responds.

"Why? Are you hiding something from her? Because if you are, then I will not hesitate to use a kitchen knife on you," Wanda threatens with a large steak knife in her hand.

"I'm not hiding anything from Nat; you scared me. Now, please put the potentially harmful weapon back," Steve says jokingly.

Wanda jokingly gives Steve the stink eye before walking back into the living room where Natasha is sitting on the couch with her three year old little girl, Aliana Rogers, in her arms. The girl's droopy blue eyes indicate that she is getting sleepy, and Wanda finds it so adorable that she's trying to keep her eyes open.

"Mommy?" She yawns.

"What is it, sweetie?" Natasha asks her sleepy little girl. The little blonde starts rubbing her eyes. "Are you sleepy? You ready to go night night?"

"No," Natasha's daughter responds.

Natasha gives a knowing smile to Wanda who is melting at the image of her best friend cuddling her daughter. Natasha knows if she sits there for a little while longer, then she will go to sleep in her lap. The cartoon on television is getting ready to go off, and Natasha sits through the rest of it before looking down at her daughter and smiling at the sleeping little tyke.

Steve and Bucky walk into the living room with the girls and immediately notice the little girl.

"She finally out?" Steve asks.

"Yea. I thought she was never going to sleep, but I guess I was wrong," Natasha answers.

Steve places his beer bottle on the table beside the couch. "Here, I'll take her to her room."

Natasha gently places their daughter in Steve's arms. When she gets there, the girl doesn't hesitate to wrap her arms around her daddy's neck and nuzzle into his neck. As Steve is walking to her room he hears his little girl stir awake.

"Daddy?" She says.

"Shh. Go back to sleep, poppy," Steve calls his daughter. He gently lays her down in her bed and and tucks her in as much as he can. He kisses his sleeping girl's forehead and turns on her nightlight before stepping out and back into the living room with Natasha, Wanda, and Bucky.

"She still asleep?" Natasha asks.

"Out like a light," Steve answers and sits on the couch next to his wife and wraps his arm around her. Bucky and Wanda are sitting in the chairs on either side of the couch.

"Allie is so cute. I have to sit here and wonder how you two made such a beautiful girl," Wanda says.

"I could show you how they did it, if you want me to," Bucky jokes.

"Eww. Shut up, Barnes," Wanda jokes back.

Wanda and Bucky have always had a little banter between the both of them. They're around dead bodies most of the time, so they can't be serious all the time. They need something to lighten the mood every once in a while, and tonight is a night where a lightened mood is needed. The two had just started a case on the murder of a twenty-three year old woman who doesn't live far from where Wanda lives.

"So, you two aren't together?" Natasha asks.

"Nat, c'mon. You know the answer to that," Wanda says.

"I know. It's just you both argue like an old married couple. You're both single. Why not give it a shot?" Natasha asks.

"Because dating my partner isn't an ideal situation in the workplace," Bucky answers. "Besides. Maximoff couldn't handle all of this."

"Oh please, James," Wanda says.

"Yea. You're getting a little ahead of yourself there, pal," Steve teases.

The night is still young and the four have a great time catching up with a few drinks. They talk about Allie's latest antics which include finger painting on the wall and making her own bowl of cereal (which she ends up eating off the floor without Natasha or Steve knowing). They talk about Bucky and Wanda's detective duties, and they talk about movies that are coming out that they all want to see together. It starts getting late, so Wanda helps Natasha clean the mess they four have made. They take all their trash to the can in the kitchen and decide to talk.

"Please tell me what is going on between you and Barnes. I'm your best friend, Wanda," Natasha practically begs.

Wanda laughs. "I promise there is nothing going on between James and me."

"I still don't believe you. How do you work fifteen years with someone who is kind, single, and looks like that?" Natasha asks.

"Nat! You're married to his best friend, and you have a baby with his best friend," Wanda tries the veer the topic to Steve.

"Hey. I didn't say he was better looking than Steve. I'm just saying that he's attractive, and he seems to be attracted to you," Natasha says.

"Shut up," Wanda demands.

"I'm just saying. He flirts with you a lot."

"No he doesn't! That's just our playful banter."

"Whatever, Wanda. It sounds like flirting to me," Natasha says. "You know, I've overheard him tell Steve that he thinks you are beautiful."

"Nat. Stop. Please?" Wanda practically begs this time. 

Natasha smirks and the women return to the living room. Bucky is standing there with his car keys, waiting on Wanda. They decided to ride to Steve and Natasha's home together to save gas for someone. Wanda won the coin toss for that.

"You ready to go?" Bucky asks.

"Yea. Whenever you are," Wanda responds.

Bucky and Wanda bid their goodbyes to Steve and Natasha and meet each other at Bucky's car.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ride to Wanda's apartment was, except for the humming to music on the radio from Bucky, quiet. Bucky could sense that something was wrong when he pulled up to the complex, so he turned the car off and looked at Wanda who was playing with some peeling skin next to her thumbnail.

"You alright, Wanda?" Bucky asks with concern.

"Yea. I'm just thinking of the case we started today," Wanda responds.

"I get it. I'm thinking about it too... Do you want me to walk you to your apartment?" Bucky asks.

Wanda looks at him and hesitates. She doesn't know what she wants to say because she doesn't want to seem afraid, but she doesn't want to be caught off guard in case there is a murderer following her to her apartment.

She breathes. "Would you like to come in? I can pour us some coffee or tea or something."

Bucky smiles. "Yea."

Bucky goes with Wanda to her apartment, and they share a cup of tea and talk. Bucky wants to get Wanda's mind off the murderer running around her street, and he thinks he does a pretty good job of it. He says goodbye to her after a little chit chat and goes to his car. Bucky won't lie when he says he's a little apprehensive about walking to his car, so he has his hand on his gun on the way to his car. Just in case he needs it.

He gets home safely and texts Wanda to let her know that he got home safely like she asked him to do before he left her apartment.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sitting outside can be so peaceful. There is so much about nature to enjoy when you are sitting outside. I feel happy. But I feel even happier whenever I see people walk by or drive passed me. It reminds me that I am not alone. Today, I waved at thirty-two people. Only thirty-one waved back at me. Does it make me feel like an idiot to wave without people waving back? Well. Would it you? It makes me angry. It makes me sad. I am sad.


	2. A Friendly Neighborhood Cookout: August 7, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Natasha invite Bucky and Wanda to a cookout held by one of their neighbors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another cute little chapter before we get to the serious stuff. Hope you like it!

"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD." Leviticus 19:18. I am a friendly person. I always have been, and I always will be. I have my moments where I am not in the mood to deal with people, but everyone has those days. For the most part, however, I am a friendly person. I talk to my neighbors, and everyone is so friendly. It's almost like they are family to me. I try to converse with other neighbors, but they stare at me and walk back into their house, or they talk to me like they are scared of me. I'm not a scary person. I am a friendly person.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

August 7, 2017  
Time: 10:27 a.m.  
Location: Wanda's Apartment

Bucky unlocks the door to his partner's apartment and lets himself in. He shuts the door and locks it back before walking passed the living room and kitchen through a hallway until he finds his partner changing in her room. She is speaking with someone on the phone, so Bucky makes sure he is quiet when he lays on her bed.

"Yea. James just got here," Wanda says as she pulls the denim of her jeans up her legs and passed the curve of her butt. She buttons the waist together and searches for her t-shirt while still speaking. "I know. I barely got any sleep here last night just thinking about it... You would think..."

Bucky sits up and grabs Wanda's white t-shirt from under him and hands it to her.

"Thank you," She tells him. He nods with a slight smile on his face as she continues talking on the phone. "No. I was talking to James... No! He did not sleep here last night; you don't listen to me. I just said he got here like two minutes ago...You need to hush before you make him start trying his horrible pick up lines on me again."

Wanda giggles when Bucky sits up and almost says something about how offended he is to hear her say that. She lays on her bed next to him and continues talking on the phone. Bucky would never say this out loud, but he liked listening to Wanda's voice. There was something so calming and soothing about her voice. It was another reason he had stuck with her as a partner for fifteen years. They've been in some pretty scary situations, but when Wanda would talk to him, he could feel a little bit at ease.

"Alright. We'll see you later. Alright. Bye!" Wanda hangs up the phone and lays it on her nightstand.

"Who was that?" Bucky asks.

"It was Nat. She told me I left my jacket at their house last night."

"Was that all she said?"

"Well, she did mention a cookout that their neighborhood was having. She wants me and you to make an appearance if we're not working," Wanda answers.

"Did you tell her that we're always working? Even last night?"

"Yea, but she said that it wouldn't hurt us to come for a few minutes," Wanda says.

"I guess not," Bucky says. "I heard you tell her that you had trouble sleeping here last night. Are you sure everything was okay after I dropped you off and left? I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in your own apartment."

"I was just thinking of the case we're on. I've met the woman who was murdered. I mean I didn't know her personally, but we've met a few times before she died... I don't know why I was thinking about it because it could be coincidental that she lived near me and was murdered, but I don't know the true intentions of the person who done it. Nat asked why I was so scared when I was a detective, and I told her that just because we're cops doesn't mean we don't get scared for our own lives sometimes," Wanda says. "I live here by myself, and I didn't even hear you come in, so what does that tell me if that person who murdered that woman sneaks in my apartment and decides to kill me?"

"You can't think like that, Wanda. You gotta think about all of your escape routes. Think about how you have a very powerful gun hidden in your nightstand and under your bed at all times. Think about how you can always come to me whenever you feel that way," Bucky tells her.

"Thanks, James," Wanda scoots over and wraps her arms around him, giving him a hug.

"I don't need my favorite partner not being able to keep her eyes open, so if you want to crash at my place, then you are more than welcome," Bucky says.

"Really?" Wanda asks. "You sure I won't cramp your style?"

Bucky laughs. "No. I promise. It won't be a problem at all."

"Thanks again, James, but I'm gonna stay here. I might take you up on it one day, though," Wanda says.

"What do we have to do today?" Bucky asks after laying there with Wanda in his arms for a few minutes.

"Well, you and I have to meet with our boss to discuss the new case. Then, we have to meet the coroner for the results of the autopsy of the woman, and after that I'm going to go to Steve and Natasha's cookout, which you are really wanted at, not just by Steve and Nat but me too," Wanda tells him.

Bucky groans. "I guess I'll go."

Wanda claps her hands together. "Yay! I already told her we were coming anyway. Now, c'mon. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Wanda gets up and leaves her room. Bucky is slow to sit up and leave, but he knows Wanda will leave without him.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Coroner's Office  
Time: 2:17 p.m.

They arrive at the coroner's office to examine the body of the woman who was murdered a few days ago. They had done an autopsy and had to call Bucky and Wanda to let them come to their office and get the results. Wanda and Bucky walk in and see the lifeless body laying flat on a metallic surface. Her body is covered with a thin off-white sheet. Her skin has lost all it's color as well as her lips. They wait on the coroner to walk back into the room as they continue looking at the woman on the table.

"What can you tell us?" Bucky asks.

"Okay. The victim is twenty-eight year old, Lucy Shepherd. Judging by the discoloration of her skin and the wounds on her body, she appears to have been dead for approximately 96 hours," The coroner informs the two detectives.

"That's including yesterday and today?" Wanda asks.

The coroner shakes his head. He turns the woman's head to reveal a large gash, "This wound is what initially started the whole thing. This is four days old, not including yesterday and today, so this caused a good amount of damage to her head," The coroner says as he gently turns the head back. He then pulls the blanket off her torso to reveal many bruises and stab wounds. "This is what done it for her. Internal damage and exsanguination from what seems to be a kitchen knife."

Wanda sighs and looks at the wounds on the woman's torso. "So, the unsub came up behind her and knocked her out," Wanda says. She grabs the woman's arm and looks at a particularly large bruise on her wrist. "Tied her up, and beat and stabbed her to death. But why?"

"Stalker?" Bucky questions.

"Was there evidence of sexual assault?" Wanda asks.

"That's interesting that you ask," The coroner responds. He covers the woman's torso up before reaching for the other end of the sheet and pulling it up to reveal her legs and genitalia. "There are bruises all around that area, but there appeared to be no signs of forced sexual entry."

"So, this person used sexual assault as a threat, but never acted on it," Bucky says. "Was there any DNA evidence found on her body?"

"No. The person who did this made sure not to leave a mark of DNA on the body, but there were weapons found at the crime scene. As you both know, I am not legally obligated to speak about the results of those with either of you."

Wanda and Bucky nod and look at each other. They both thank the coroner before walking out of the autopsy room. Wanda shivers when she walks out, feeling the breeze from an already freezing cold room creep up her body.

"So...where do we start?" Bucky asks. "Because right now, we are flying blind. I thought Lewis was gonna give a little bit more detail on our victim's life, but I was wrong."

"I don't know. I knew Lucy, but I didn't know her that well. We only ran into each other a few times. Maybe Lewis thinks I should know, but we'll run by there before we go to Steve and Nat's," Wanda says.

Wanda shivers again and rubs her hands gently up and down her arms.

"You alright?" Bucky asks.

"Yea. I'm just cold. I didn't even think to bring a jacket," Wanda says.

"I should have a jacket in my car if you want to use it," Bucky offers.

Wanda smiles. "Thanks, James. I should be fine once we step outside."

"You sure?" Bucky asks.

"I promise. I'm okay."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Steve and Natasha's Neighborhood Cookout  
Time: 5:32 p.m.

Bucky and Wanda pull into Steve and Nat's driveway. They get out of the car and lock it before walking up the road a little bit to the crowd of people who live in the neighborhood. They searched through the crowd of unfamiliar faces until they hear a tiny squeal.

"Uncle Bucky!"

Steve and Natasha's little girl, Allie, yells and runs over to the duo. She jumps into Bucky's arms first thing. Bucky lift her off the ground and squeezes her tightly, spinning around. Allie giggles and squeezes Buck's neck just as hard as she can.

"How are you, kiddo?" Bucky asks.

"Good!" Allie cheers.

"Hey! Aunt Wanda wants some love!" Wanda pouts. Allie smiles and opens her arms wide. Wanda wraps her arms around the very small girl and lifts her up on her hip. "I missed talking to you last night."

"I know. I was very sleepy," Allie says.

"I know. I saw you trying to stay awake on momma's shoulder last night. It's alright, though. Bucky and I are here to hang out with you again," Wanda tells her. Allie's face just brightens up.

"I'm so happy! There's not a lot of kids here to play with, and daddy says that you and Uncle Bucky are like big babies, and I like playing with babies," Allie says.

Wanda laughs at her misunderstanding. Bucky gives the young girl a disbelieving look. "I'm gonna have a talk with your daddy, Allie," He jokes.

"Speak of the devil," Wanda says. They all turn their attentions towards Steve and Natasha who are walking up to them with a young man.

"You guys were talking about us?" Steve asks.

"Daddy! I told them I was happy they were here because now I have big babies to play with. Remember when you called uncle Bucky and aunt Wanda babies?" Allie asks earning a laugh from the group.

"Yes, poppy. I remember that very well," Steve responds.

"Allie. I thought you and I were gonna play," The young man who walked over with Steve and Natasha speaks up.

"Oh yeah! Aunt Wanda? Could you put me down please? I wanna go play with Peter," Allie asks politely.

Wanda nods and gently sets the girl on the ground. Wanda and Bucky look at the young man Allie is going to play with and give Steve and Natasha a look that says "are you gonna introduce us?"

"Oh! Wanda, Bucky, this is Peter Parker. He lives in this nice big house. His aunt and uncle are throwing the cookout for everyone. Peter, these are mine and Steve's best friends. That's Bucky, and that's Wanda," Natasha introduces them. Peter shakes their hands and politely greets them.

"I'm happy to see more people at this thing. I hate having cookout leftovers for dinner," Peter says.

"It's nice to meet you," Wanda says.

"Steve and Nat tell me you both are detectives? That must be exciting," Peter says.

"It can be, but there is also a lot of boring parts to it too," Bucky says. "Whenever we're stuck doing paperwork is the worst."

"I bet so. I work with Natasha at Stark Industries," Peter says.

"I hope this doesn't sound rude, but how old are you?" Bucky asks.

"James," Wanda scolds.

"It's okay. I am only twenty years old, but I know Tony Stark very well, and he's offered me a job at his company. I'm the technical manager. I work on a lot of computers so he hired me to help with computer and machine problems if there are any, and he's out of town. I get that a lot because I am so young, and Tony doesn't usually take chances on people as young as I am, but he's seen what I can do with computers and hired me. It's getting me through the rest of college, so I'll do whatever Tony asks," Peter says.

"I was about to say, Tony doesn't like to hire a lot of young people. Besides you, Natasha was one of the youngest people he's hired," Wanda says.

"I know. Nat is one of the smartest people I've met, so I don't doubt it," Peter says.

Natasha smiles. "Thanks Peter. I might have to have you walk around beside me and say nice things about me from now on."

Allie walks up to Peter and pulls on the fabric at the hem of his shorts. "Peter? Will you please play with me?"

"Of course. I'm sorry. I was talking to your other friends," Peter says. He shakes Wanda and Bucky's hands again. "It was so nice meeting the both of you. I've heard a lot about the both of you from these two, so it was a pleasure."

"Nice to meet you too, dude," Bucky waves goodbye as Peter chases after Steve and Nat's toddler.

"He's nice. What is he? Your friendly neighborhood, Spiderman?" Wanda jokes.

"He seems like it, don't he?" Steve laughs. "He always comes over to hang out with us or babysit Allie when we need him to. He really is a good person, and you wouldn't think he'd be that way growing up in a house like this and working for Tony, but that just goes to show you that you can't judge a book by it's cover. His aunt did a really good job raising him."

"Guys. We want y'all to meet John Dover. He lives two houses down and across the street from us. He's a really nice man," Natasha says.

"Such a nice guy," Steve intervenes.

Wanda and Bucky follow Steve and Wanda to a table where a group of old men sit and are chatting about the good ole days. Steve and Natasha get the attention of the man, John Dover and start the introductions. He's a short old man with a hunchback. He has a friendly smile and bright green eyes. The sun glares off the top of his head, though he still has silver hair on the sides of his head. He waves the duo with a smile and introduces himself again to them.

"Are you two married?" He asks after they exchange names.

"No. We're just friends and co-workers, sir," Bucky responds.

John points at Bucky and looks at Steve and Nat. "I like him. Anyone with enough respect to say 'sir' or 'ma'am' is a good person in my book."

"Thank you, sir." Bucky says.

John looks at Wanda and grabs her hand. "You are awfully pretty. What'd you say your name was again?" He asks.

"Wanda," She says with a smile on her face.

"Wanda," He repeats. "Such a beautiful name."

"Thank you, sir. It's nice to meet you," She tells him.

"Are you two friends with these two?" John asks Bucky and Wanda about Steve and Nat.

"Unfortunately," Bucky answers, earning a big laugh from John.

"I bet you get into a lot of trouble just like Steve here," John jokes.

"I wouldn't admit to it, but I'm not gonna deny it, sir," Bucky says. Wanda giggles at the old man's reaction.

John looks at Steve and Natasha again. "You got you some good friends here. Keep them close to you because it seems to me like they're more like family. I'm really impressed."

"You got it, John," Steve responds.

"You remind me a lot of my son," John tells Bucky.

"Do I?" Bucky asks.

"Yea. You're both have fairly similar facial features, and you both have the same kind of humor," John says. Bucky asks him if his son visits a lot to which John tells him that he hasn't seen his son in ten years.

"Oh really? I hate to hear that," Bucky says.

"I don't know where he is, and frankly, I don't care where he is. He and I had a fallen out years ago over him and his girlfriend, and I wasn't listening to it. He got mad and left, and we haven't spoke since," John explains.

"I'm sorry about that, sir," Bucky says.

"I really like them," John tells Steve. John and Steve chat for a minute before John says he's gonna sit back down and "shoot the shit" with his friends who live in the neighborhood. Steve laughs at the expression but nods, and they all say their goodbyes. Steve runs back to Peter's house to grab Allie and meets Natasha, Bucky, and Wanda back at their house. They stand by Bucky's car.

"We hate to rush off, but Wanda and I are on the clock, and we gotta go, but we'll try to meet up tomorrow or something," Bucky says.

"Alright. That's cool. Just call," Steve says.

Everyone exchanges their goodbyes, and Bucky and Wanda are on the road again.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Wanda and Bucky arrive back at the office, they are greeted with a new file. Wanda opens it and finds the picture of another woman who has been murdered, not far from her apartment again.

"Thirty-two year old Carson Young. Was found this afternoon. Exactly the same way Lucy Shepherd was found," Wanda says.

"This can't be a coincidence," Bucky says. "They're both women in their late twenties or early thirties who live around the same area and have been stabbed and beaten to death."

"So we could be looking at a serial killer," Wanda sighs.

"Do you have any ideas about anyone in your apartment?" Bucky asks.

"No clue. I don't socialize much with people who live in my apartment," Wanda says. "I didn't even know a Carson Young lived in my building."

"Wanda?" Bucky asks with a low voice.

"Hmm?"

"I don't want you staying there. Not until we find out who's doing this. I don't want you getting hurt," Bucky says. "Tell as many people in the building as possible because if we're right about serial killer, then there are a lot of people in potential danger in that area."

"Alright. I do that tonight," Wanda says.

"I don't want you to stay there tonight," Bucky says.

"Where am I supposed to sleep, Bucky? I can't just barge into Steve and Nat's place at two-thirty in the morning," Wanda asks.

"Stay with me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it because chaos ensues in the next chapter. Let me know what you think! Much love!


	3. Missing Piece: August 11, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Natasha call Bucky and Wanda for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I do this chapter justice. I want to make it creepy and interesting, so I hope I am writing this the right way.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein.

I've heard this plenty of times throughout my life, but I never felt like I experienced insanity from doing things over and over again. To me? It's more of an obsession. After doing the same thing over and over again for so long, I want something new to happen. I want to feel something new again. I want to feel. I can't feel my arms. My chest hurts. My legs feel like jelly, but I like it. I can never make up my mind. That's why I do things on impulse. I can't help it. I can't help it. I CAN'T HELP IT!!! But it gives me a rush to know what it's like to feel helpless. I just want others to feel that way too.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve Rogers wakes up to a bright, Friday morning sun. He squints to let his eyes adjust to his room when he suddenly remembers the presence of his beautiful wife cuddling up to him. Her fiery red hair catches even more fire in the sun, and her skin has a natural glow. Steve is so enamored by her. She is so beautiful. How did he get so lucky to wake up next to her every morning? How did he get so lucky to have such a beautiful daughter with her? He shifts a little bit and slides his arm out from underneath her. He gently stands up and watches Natasha squirm around until she grabs his pillow and cuddles it. He smiles and leaves their bedroom. He slowly cracks the door to his daughter's bedroom and looks inside. She is sound asleep, but he knows she won't be for much longer, so he creeps to the kitchen and decides to make breakfast. After fifteen minutes of crackling bacon and sizzling pancakes does he hear the tiny pitter patter of his daughter's footsteps. He turns around to greet his daughter.

"Good morning, Poppy," He tells her.

"Good morning, daddy," She smiles at him. 

"I hope you woke up hungry. I'm making yours and mommy's favorite pancakes," He says.

Her face lights up at the sight of two chocolate chip pancakes. "Thank you, daddy! Can I watch you make them?"

He smile as he picks her up in his arms and continues to cook over the stove with her on his hip. He starts teaching her the ways of the spatula and grill tongs (which he uses to cook the bacon because he's secretly scared of getting popped by the grease). He tells her that he'll let her help him next time he decides to make a nice breakfast for them, which she gets excited about.

"Here. I'm gonna set you down because I gotta make some eggs," Steve tells her daughter as he gently sits her down on the kitchen counter. He walks to the fridge and grabs the carton of eggs and mayonnaise. Most people (Bucky) find the fact that Steve adds mayo to his scrambled eggs disgusting, but he makes them the same way his mother used to, and he loves the mayo in his eggs. Natasha thought it was disgusting when they started spending the night at each others' houses, and he would wake up to make them breakfast. He told her to try it, and Natasha isn't the type to not try new things, so she tried it, and while it didn't taste no different, she still agreed that it was yummy, so she never complained about the mayonnaise again.

He cracks the eggs open in a small green bowl and mixes them with milk. He beats them while putting some butter in the skillet and allowing it to heat so he can add the egg mixture.

"Daddy? Guess what?" Allie asks.

"What is it sweetheart?" Steve responds.

"I love you more than this much!" Allie spreads her arms as far as she can, and Steve's smile widens to about that wide.

"You do? Well, guess what?" Steve asks.

"What?"

"I love you to infinity and beyond!" Steve practically yells and picks his daughter up, spinning her around the kitchen in his arms, making her feel like she is flying. Steve lowers her from above his head to where she is now clinging to his neck. They are dancing and spinning around and singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.

Natasha makes her way down to the kitchen where she hears the ruckus that woke her up from her slumber. She obviously doesn't mind that her husband and daughter woke her up, especially when they woke her up yelling about how much they love each other and laughing and singing. Natasha smiles and leans against the wall, soaking in this moment before she catches the attention of Allie who is yelling for mommy to join them.

"Mommy! Come dance with me and daddy!" Allie squeals. Natasha doesn't even hesitate.

They get danced out after a little bit, and Steve checks on the breakfast that he turned down to be able to share this moment with his two girls. He kisses Allie's head and sets her on the floor.

"Breakfast is ready!" Steve yells as he gets plates ready.

They sit together at the table when Steve gets the plates done, and they have a really nice family breakfast.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda opens her eyes to the new environment. She's stayed at Bucky's place before when they've had cases they've looked at all night, but she doesn't know how long she's gonna be staying here. Who knows how long this case will take? Who knows how long she will be staying with Bucky before it feels safer to move back into her apartment. She already misses it there, but she knows that Bucky wants to make sure she isn't going to be in any harm while living there, which she can understand. She would probably tell Bucky to stay with her if things were the other way around.

She sits up immediately when her phone rings. She reaches for the device on the nightstand and answers it without even looking at who is calling her.

"Hello?"

"Wanda! You gotta help us! It's Allie!" She hears a panicking Natasha on the other end of the phone.

"Nat? What happened? Is Allie okay?"

"No! She's gone! Steve and I can't find her, and we've looked everywhere, and she isn't here! OH GOD! I'm so scared!" Nat is screaming.

"Nat. Tell me what happened. I need to know everything before I can help," Wanda says.

"I-I-I was cleaning up while Steve went to the gym, and Allie told me she was gonna play outside, and I told her that it was okay as long as she stayed in the front yard. I went outside to check on her, and she isn't there, and I don't know what to do? How could I let this happen to my three year old daughter?" Natasha cries.

Bucky knocks on the door and enters. He sees Wanda on the phone, and, by the looks of it, Steve has already gotten a hold of Bucky because he looks like he's ready to go, and he lets her know that he knows what's going on with a subtle nod. He sits on the end of the bed and listens to the conversation that Wanda has with Nat.

"Are you sure she didn't run off to one of the neighbor's houses? What about that boy we met the other day at the cookout?" Wanda asks.

"Steve already went to all our neighbors' houses to see if she ran off over there, and no one has any clue where she is," Natasha says with a shaky voice. Wanda has only heard Natasha with a shaky voice twice. The first time was the day of her and Steve's wedding, and she was so nervous that she was gonna mess something up during or after the ceremony. The other time was when she found out she was pregnant. She didn't know whether or not she was going to be a good mother, and she didn't know how she was going to tell Steve. Natasha is usually a woman of calm nerves, so when something happens, and Wanda hears Natasha's voice get shaky, Wanda knows the severity of the situation.

"James and I are on our way. Call the police, and Natasha?" Wanda asks.

"What?" Natasha sniffles on the other end of the line.

"You're gonna have to report Allie as a missing child."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Rogers Residence  
Time: 3:45 p.m.

Wanda rushes out of the car to run into the arms of Natasha, whose face is red, blotchy, and puffy from crying. The police are parked in the driveway of their friends' home, and they are investigating the scene to see what could've happened to Allie.

"Excuse me. I'm gonna have to ask you to step back," An officer tells Wanda and Bucky who are comforting their friends. "this is an investigation site, so unless you have information on the whereabouts of this child or have authorized business with the investigation, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."

Wanda and Bucky know how this goes, so they pull the badges out that they have concealed under their shirts and show the officer. "Is that authorized enough, sir?" Wanda asks. The officer just grimaces and walks away, getting back to his job.

"Natasha? Where is Steve?" Bucky asks.

"He went to look for her. He doesn't know where to go, but you know how Steve is. Once he has the idea on his mind, he isn't letting it go until it's done. He told me to stay here in case she comes back," Natasha says with more tears behind her eyelids.

"Aww man. I have to go find him. Will you be okay here with Nat?" Bucky asks Wanda.

"Of course. I wanna figure out what's happening here, and I want to explain to Nat what's gonna happen next," Wanda responds.

Bucky stops himself from leaving and leans in to Wanda where he is able to murmur in her ear, "Are you sure you should tell her? I don't think she'll be able to handle this."

"It's better for her if it comes from me," Wanda says. "I don't want to hurt her anymore and waste tons of time letting someone else explain what's going on because I want to find that girl. I can tell there is something really wrong going on here, and I want to get to bottom of it."

"Fine. But I don't know if I can bring myself to tell Steve. It'll break him," Bucky says.

"That's okay," Wanda says. "You know what? I'll wait to tell her. It would be easier for them to find out together."

"Alright. I'll be right back. I have a few places in mind to look," Bucky says before walking to his car and driving off.

Natasha is clutching a soft stuffed animal that belongs to Allie close to her. She inhales deeply and tries to stop herself from crying some more, but she fails. Wanda catches this and wraps her arms around her best friend who is really in need of a lot of help right now. Wanda loves Allie to death, and she will do anything for that little girl, but she can't help but wonder if Nat thinks Wanda is being heartless for not getting emotional over it like she is. Wanda has been trained to deal with situations like this in a non-emotional way. When she is in detective mode, she can't let feelings get in the way of what she really needs to do, and what she really needs to do right now is find Allie and think about Allie. Who could've kidnapped her? Why did they kidnap her? She's sure it isn't any mal-intention towards Steve and Natasha. As far as Wanda knows, Steve and Nat aren't affiliated with any notorious mobsters or gangs or anything like that.

"Let's go inside. I'll make you some tea or coffee or whatever you want," Wanda says.

Nat nods and is lead into the house by Wanda. Wanda sets Nat on the living room couch and walks into the kitchen. She uses this time making Nat some coffee to think about what could've happened.

Now, Wanda knows Allie, and she knows Allie well enough to know that Allie would never run away. She hates being away from her parents, so her wandering off is off of Wanda's list. Wanda also knows Allie is a very friendly girl, but she knows, too, that Steve and Natasha taught her about 'stranger danger' and what not to do when a creepy guy or gal in a van pulls up to them. Allie might be three years old, but she's a smart girl, so Wanda thinks that this kidnapper could be someone that Allie knows.

She pulls her phone out of her pocket and dials Bucky's number.

"Hey," Bucky answers.

"Hey. Any luck finding Steve yet?" Wanda asks.

"Nope. Considering what we're dealing with, Steve could be halfway across the country right now, but I'm still gonna look for him," Bucky says. Wanda sighs into the phone and struggles to find the right words. "What's the matter? Did something else come up? I can tell when something is picking at your brain, so you might as well tell me now."

"I was just thinking about what happened. Allie is a smart girl, but I don't think she ran off. She's a friendly girl, but you and I both know that she will stay as far away from strangers as possible," Wanda says.

"What are you getting at?" Bucky asks.

"It's just a hunch and completely circumstantial, but I think her kidnapper is someone in Steve and Nat's neighborhood."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So doing something over and over again makes me insane, huh? WRONG! I don't expect a different result. I expect the exact same thing to happen the last time I did this! Do yOu VEry well see yourself figuRing me out? JUst thiNk agaIn yOu Repulsive HUMAN!

Signing off,  
Agent Orange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed! I'll update as soon as possible! Much love!


	4. Just A Hunch: August 12, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Wanda begin to interview people in Steve and Nat's neighborhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING in the first paragraph after the quote. The kidnapper speaks of giving Allie a bath, and it's uncomfortable, and I'm so sorry. I just want to write about how fucked up this person is.

"Children do not not care how much you know until they know how much you care" -Teddy Roosevelt.

My mother never showed me how much she cared. She cared about my father. She cared about my brother. She never cared for me. Never. Never. Never. She was a cruel woman when it came to me. It was as if I was never born to her. The only person who cared about me when I was younger was my father. And this little girl is gonna know what that feels like. I gave her a bath last night, and she was not happy about it. Damn kid. The only thing I could do to calm her down was get in the tub with her. It was nice to have some "daddy-daughter" bonding time. She asked me when she could go back home, and I think I scared her when I grabbed her and told her that she was home. I am her daddy now. I am her daddy. Not that jackass Steve Rogers. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. Same could be said about her mother, Natasha. I never liked them, and they never cared for this child. I care for this child. I will take care of her for the rest of her life.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Rogers' Residence  
Time: 2:01 a.m.  
Date: August 12, 2017

Wanda was asleep on Steve and Natasha's couch in the living room with the red-head laying in her lap when Bucky and Steve walk through the front door. Steve looking exhausted and Bucky right there with him. Steve walks in the living room and looks at Natasha. Wanda sees the tears well up in his eyes, so she takes this as incentive to gently remove herself from underneath Natasha.

"Did she cry herself to sleep?" Steve asks with a wavering voice.

"Yea. She did about an hour ago," Wanda responds.

Steve nods bends down and gathers his exhausted wife in his arms. "I'm gonna take her upstairs and let her get some sleep. I'll be right back."

Bucky and Wanda nod and watch as Steve slowly makes his way upstairs. They know he is tired, but they also know that he isn't going to sleep until Allie is safe and sound at home in his arms. They lose sight of him when he reaches the top of the stairs and turns down a hallway.

"Where did you find him?" Wanda asks.

"He was filling up at the gas station. I guess he's been travelling a lot. When I found him, he immediately refused to come back with me. I had to tell him that Natasha is a wreck without him, and he needs to be with her. I told him if he wanted to speed up the process of bringing Allie back home, then he needed to get some rest and come up with a list of people who he thinks could've done it or knows who could've done it," Bucky explains.

"And that worked? Just like that?" Wanda asks, knowing her friend better than that.

"No. I got him to come home because while we were arguing at the gas station, he passed out. I put him in my car, and he woke up before I pulled into the driveway."

"I hate this," Wanda says, trying to fight back tears. She feels the sting of them in her eyes, but she quickly blinks them away as Steve comes back to the living room.

"Thank you both for being here for us. Y'all are the only reason we aren't out killing people for answers right now," Steve says. "It's been a long day. I think you two should go home and get some rest. I'm gonna stay up and think of that list you told me about, Bucky."

"No," Wanda says. "You can't think when you are this exhausted. Go upstairs with your wife and hug her and be with her. Bucky and I are taking this case on, and we are not gonna rest until Allie is back here. Okay?"

Steve, who can barely hold his eyes open anymore, nods. Bucky and Wanda tell him goodnight, and they will be back over tomorrow evening with any information. Wanda tells Steve that the first she and Bucky have to do is interview everyone in their neighborhood. Steve nods, and they part ways.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky and Wanda step through the threshold of Bucky's apartment with Allie's case file in hand. Bucky turns the kitchen light on, and they both sit at Bucky's kitchen table. Wanda takes out the report that Steve and Natasha gave the police as well as possible eye witness statements. Wanda and Bucky split the papers and look through the papers and read and re-read the papers. They are looking for anything they can use to find the person who done this.

"Look at this," Wanda says, showing Bucky a paper she found in the stack of case files. "This is a police report on Clint Barton, a man who moved into the neighborhood a week after Steve and Nat. He is thirty-seven years old, and he fits the description of the male the eyewitnesses reported. I think we should go to him first."

"Why does he have a police report?" Bucky asks.

Wanda reads over the documents before finding the answer. "It says here he spent nine months in prison for involuntary manslaughter. The police report says it was an act of self defense. He and his ex wife were attacked on the night of October 11, 2016. The man Barton killed tried to attack his wife who was waiting outside. The man pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot her. That's when Barton attacked the attacker and tried to grab the gun. The two men wrestled over the gun, but the triggered was pulled, killing the attacker."

"He don't sound like the type to kidnap a child, but he matches eye witness description, and he has criminal history, so he is the first one we have to talk to tomorrow," Bucky says.

"Are you sure?" Wanda asks looking into his bright, but tired blue eyes.

"Yea. I just don't think it's him. He lives around too many people and would definitely be caught. None of these eye witness statements point him out directly. If these people knew it was him," Bucky says. "But it doesn't hurt to start somewhere."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Residence of Clint Barton  
Time: 1:19 p.m.  
Date: August 13, 2017

"What the fuck? I'm new to this neighborhood; I don't even know that family. Not that I would kidnap a kid anyway," Clint Barton defends himself.

"We aren't saying you did, but we have to talk to everyone in the neighborhood and according to the witness statements, a few of the residents in this neighborhood claimed to see a man walking around the neighborhood around the time the child was kidnapped, and you fit that description. We just need somewhere to start," Wanda explains.

"Okay, fine. I was walking around the neighborhood around that time, but I didn't see anything suspicious. I was minding my own business and trying to get a little bit of exercise. That's all," Clint says.

Wanda is taking notes as Bucky asks the next question, "Are you sure you didn't see anything? Do you remember seeing anything or anyone leaving or entering the road leading to the Rogers' house?"

Clint sighs and rests his elbows on his knees. He rubs his head and closes his eyes as if he is trying to remember anything.

"Please tell us any information you think might be useful. Tell us everything about your walk if you want to. Any information will be helpful to us. We're just trying to hurry and find her," Bucky says.

"I started my walk around one o'clock yesterday afternoon. I thought I would walk around the neighborhood and enjoy being outside, so I walked past the owner of the first house on the left. He waved at me, and he told me to have a nice day. I walked out the stop sign at the end of the road when a little red SUV turned into the road. I couldn't see who they were because their windows were tinted, but I think I saw them turn down the road that family lives on. I made a few laps around the neighborhood, but I didn't see that red car again," Clint explains.

Wanda is jotting everything he says down as fast as she can, and Bucky is doing the same.

"Thank you. That's all we wanted to know," Wanda says. She and Bucky stand up at the same time and start to walk to the door; Clint is following close behind.

"Hey," Clint says as Wanda and Bucky stop on the porch outside. "Are either of you related to that little girl?"

"We're her godparents. She means a lot to us, and she means everything to Steve and Natasha Rogers. We are trying to find her as quickly as possible because she has a lot of people waiting on her to get back," Wanda responds.

Clint leans against the door frame. "I really hope y'all find her. If I can remember anything else, I give you a call, but I doubt I'll remember anything else."

"Thanks again, Mr. Barton," Wanda says.

"Y'all can call me Clint," Clint says. Wanda and Bucky give him a small smile and a wave before walking back to Bucky's car.

"Do you think he is telling the truth?" Wanda asks.

"Yes. And I think whoever was driving this red SUV could be whoever took Allie. It's gonna be difficult to find this person, but we need to report this information back to the station. Maybe they can trace the car to anyone in a fifteen mile radius, and we can narrow down our search. We need to question John Dover because he's the one who waved at Clint, so he possibly could've seen who was driving the car, and if that doesn't get us anywhere, then we need to ask Steve and Nat if they know anyone who drives a red SUV. This car is the only thing getting us closer to finding Allie," Bucky says.

Wanda sighs and rubs her eyes. She hasn't slept in two days because she has been working on this case nonstop. Bucky is exhausted as well. The two of them are used to being awake for unreasonable amounts of times, but this case is different. It's taking a different toll on them, and they can only imagine what it's like for Steve and Nat right now. Bucky and Wanda don't even know if they've been getting rest. But can they blame them? If they had a kid who was taken away from them, then they wouldn't be worrying about sleep or rest. They'd be doing what they're doing right now.

Bucky feels the pressure in his face increase as he pinches the bridge of his nose. Lack of sleep will really mess with people who are lacking in it. Bucky could admit that he feels crummy. His legs are cramping. His face and head are hurting. Although he hasn't gotten any sleep, his lower back feels like he's been sleeping on a giant rock. And he yawns. And he yawns. And he yawns. He's already on his fifth cup of coffee today, but that makes him feel even worse, physically. But it's not stopping him from focusing on the real matter at hands. His goddaughter is missing and who knows what else. He can't sit or stand around and complain about the physical pain he feels. He needs to find this little girl because it will wreck everyone if they don't find her in time or at all.

Now Wanda is thinking about how this will make Steve and Natasha look. Steve was at the gym when he let his three year old daughter go outside and play. Natasha was cleaning up the house and not paying any attention to her daughter. This is a rarity in situations like this, but Wanda is afraid that she'll have to give Natasha and Steve some bad news when their daughter is found. She's put it off because they don't need to be thinking about a legal case when they are too worried about their daughter. Bucky and Wanda practically begged their boss not to sick the hounds on them because they are going through one of, if not, the single hardest times right now. But it will be brought up again.

Bucky knocks on the door of John Dover's house. The eighty-four year old man stumbles to the front door but answers the door with a smile.

"Hey! How are you?" John asks.

"We're here to ask you some questions, Mr. Dover. I'm not sure if you're aware, but the child of Steve and Natasha Rogers has been kidnapped," Wanda informs the man.

"Oh Lord. I hope she's alright," Mr. Dover says. "I hate to hear that, but I'm willing to participate."

"Great," Wanda says. "Let's get started."

"Mr. Dover? Where were you between the hours of one p.m. and one thirty p.m. on August 11th?" Bucky asks.

"Well. I quite can't remember. My memory has been bad off. If I had to guess, I would say that I was sitting outside in my rocking chair," Mr. Dover answers.

"Do you remember seeing a red SUV drive past your house during that time?" Bucky asks.

Mr. Dover thinks for a moment. "Yes. I do remember, but I didn't get a good look at the driver. But I did notice a few things. He had brown hair and a beard. But the windows were so dark on his car, I don't think that's an accurate description, but I do remember seeing the red SUV drive by."

"Okay. That actually helped us out a lot, so thank you, sir. I hope we weren't too much of a bother," Bucky says.

"Oh no! You two are just doing your jobs. I just want to help out as much as I can. I really like Steve and Natasha. I can't imagine what it must be like for them," John says.

"Yea. It's rough. Hopefully, this information will help us. Thanks again! Have a nice day," Bucky says. They all say their goodbyes, and Bucky and Wanda are about to get in Bucky's car when Bucky's phone rings.

"Hello?" He answers. "Yea...Did you get the information we sent you? Wanda is gonna send some more information. We need results back right now...Well we're about to go the parents' house... This is the best lead we got."

Bucky takes the phone away from his ear and speaks to Wanda. "They're sending the results right now."

Wanda waits for her device to ding, and when it does she doesn't hesitate to say, "Got 'em."

"Thanks. We'll brief you as soon as we're done talking with the parents. We're gonna look over these results first... Alright. Thanks again. Bye," Bucky hangs up the phone and walks up behind Wanda to look over her shoulder at the results of who could possibly own the SUV.

"This can't be right," Wanda says. "All of these owners are women."

One name catches Bucky's attention, and he has to point it out to his partner. He points at the name. "Are we sure it isn't right?"

"Lucy Shepherd," Wanda says remembering the name of the woman whose body they just looked at six days ago.

She feels herself getting light headed, and before she blacks out, she feels Bucky's arms around her. He's calling her name, but she can't hear him. She finally lets exhaustion over take her surprised and tired mental state.

And the last thing she thinks before she goes under is, "I can't believe my goddaughter has been kidnapped by a serial killer."

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Go to sleep now. It's too late for you to be awake. Close those beautiful eyes of yours sweetie and dream nice dreams. Daddy's watching over you. Daddy will make sure you never get hurt again. It's time to take the next step.

Agent Orange

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Much love!
> 
> Next chapter will clarify a few more things, and I will finally introduce Sam Wilson to the group. There will be something interesting that happens that they need his expertise on. Be ready!


	5. In code: August 14, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda wakes up in the hospital and is ready to get back to work. Bucky has been working on the case with someone new. Steve and Natasha receive something in the mail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter includes a clue that isn't new, but it is important. Also! Sam Wilson is joining the squad today! Enjoy!

"Words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within." - Alfred Lord Tennyson

Everybody has something to reveal. I, myself, have many things to reveal. Sometimes I think to myself that I should reveal everything about myself because it will make things easier for the people who REJECT ME! But...I look at this quote a lot, and I remember that it's good to have a little bit of mystery. So should my little girl. I got the color brunette. I figured she would like it because it matches me, but she just cried. I had to wash her hair while she was asleep. She's looks better as a brunette anyway. I went on a date with a brunette last night. She was a beaut. She WAS a beaut. It's a shame. Really. It is such a shame.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve Rogers finds his wife sleeping in his little girl's bed. He sighs and blinks the tears in his eyes away. He walks in and crouches down beside her, moving a strand of her red hair out of her eyes. He's noticed that her eyes are dark and have bags underneath. He hasn't even given a look at how his eyes look, but he's sure that his eyes look exactly like hers. They've been so exhausted since Allie has been missing. They've been crying, and their lack of sleep at night adds onto the destruction of their youthfulness. They've been up all night trying to piece things together. They've gotten so much information from Bucky and Wanda (although, they're not sure how legal it is to be going through their child's file right now).

Steve walks out of his daughter's bedroom and downstairs to the living room. He pulls out his phone and calls Bucky.

"Hello?" His best friend answers from the other end.

"Hey, Buck. I was just calling to see how Wanda's doing," Steve says.

"She'll be okay. She passed out from exhaustion, and she was a little bit dehydrated. She should be able to leave after getting some rest and having some fluids. I'm sorry, Steve. This couldn't have come at a worse time, but we have some more news about your case. I just don't want to tell you over the phone," Bucky says.

"Are you coming over today?" Steve asks.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Hospital  
Date: August 15, 2017  
Time: 11:12 a.m.

Bucky leans back in the hospital chair and stretches his legs. He looks at the fatigued woman laying in the hospital bed whose side he hasn't left since she was admitted. She hasn't woke up since she passed out yesterday, and Bucky was kind of worried. He didn't really know how hard Wanda was working to find Allie because she would tell Bucky to go rest up. She said she would rest after putting the files back together, but he never really knew that she would stay up all night and think about what the hell is going on.

"Are you coming over today?" Steve asks.

Bucky watches as Wanda starts to stir in her sleep. "Yea. We need to update you two. Hold on. Wanda's waking up."

Wanda turns her head to the grip Bucky has on her hand. It's a gentle grip, and Wanda doesn't notice, but she can feel electricity move throughout her body when he holds her hand. Her hearing is starting to come back to her because she can hear Bucky calling for her. She opens her eyes and lets her vision adjust to the room. She turns and looks at Bucky who is holding his phone to his ear.

"Wanda? Are you okay?" Bucky asks.

Wanda doesn't know what to say because she doesn't know why she's in the hospital.

"Water."

That's all she can say until she quenches her dry throat. Bucky presses the phone against his cheek and shoulder as he walks to the cart on the other side of her bed and pours a small, styrofoam cup full of ice water and continues to speak.

"She seems alright. She just wants some water...Hold on a minute, Steve. Can I call you back? It'll be real quick...Alright. Bye," Bucky tells Steve and hangs up his phone. He hands Wanda the cup of water and waits for her to sip on it.

Once she swallows a large, dry lump down her throat, she closes her eyes and sighs, "What happened? What am I doing here?"

"You passed out after we finished our interview with John Dover. I brought you hear, and the doctors tell me you are suffering from extreme fatigue and dehydration. Wanda? Why did you not rest when you said you would?" Bucky asks.

Wanda hesitates to answer, but she tells Bucky the truth. "I just wanna find Allie as quickly as possible."

Bucky scoots even closer to Wanda's bedside and grabs a hold of her hand again. Wanda can feels the sparks this time decides to ignore them in this serious and tough time. She would probably ignore them if they weren't going through a serious and tough time, but she listens to Bucky anyway.

"We can't find Allie quicker when you aren't resting and passing out on me everyday. I need you to get rest, and I need you to drink a lot of water," Bucky says.

"You're right...I'm sorry," Wanda says.

"It's okay. I'm just happy you're okay. I thought you passed out because of the information we found out about Allie's kidnapper," Bucky admits.

"I think that took part in it because it did shock me. Then it worried me. Then I think I started to panic, but I don't remember," Wanda says. "It all happened too fast."

"Well, now that you have been admitted to the hospital, our boss thinks it would be better if we had another person helping us on this case. He's not a permanent move, but he's got a solid background in kidnapping cases and behavioral analysis, so I think he can help us out a lot. He's supposed to meeting up with us at three to go over the case. After that, we are going to Steve and Natasha's house to introduce him and give him a clue about who could've possibly done this. Hopefully, he's the guy that can help us find Allie," Bucky explains.

Wanda nods, and Bucky actually smiles at her.

"I'm glad you're okay. Don't do that to me ever again," He tells her.

"I promise. I won't. Besides, you wouldn't be much of a detective without me," Wanda tries to joke, but jokes don't feel appropriate at the moment. Luckily for her, she has Bucky, who will always laugh with her.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Rogers' Residence  
Time: 2:59 p.m.

Steve Rogers walks out to get the mail and quickly walks back in. As he shuts the front door and locks it, he looks through the mail. He pays no mind to electric and water bills, but his attention does come across a letter to him and Nat. There is no return address. There is no name of who sent it, so Steve is hesitant to open it. When he does work up the tolerance to open the letter, he pulls two small pieces of paper out of the envelope and reads it:

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein. I've heard this plenty of times throughout my life, but I never felt like I experienced insanity from doing things over and over again. To me? It's more of an obsession. After doing the same thing over and over again for so long, I want something new to happen. I want to feel something new again. I want to feel. I can't feel my arms. My chest hurts. My legs feel like jelly, but I like it. I can never make up my mind. That's why I do things on impulse. I can't help it. I can't help it. I CAN'T HELP IT!!! But it gives me a rush to know what it's like to feel helpless. I just want others to feel that way too. So doing something over and over again makes me insane, huh? WRONG!

I don't expect a different result. I expect the exact same thing to happen the last time I did this! Do yOu VEry well see yourself figuRing me out? JUst thiNk agaIn yOu Repulsive HUMAN BEINGS!

Signing off,  
Agent Orange

Steve doesn't know what to think about the note, but he does know how to feel about the other small little piece of paper in the envelope. He turns the photo around to see his little Poppy. Except, she doesn't look like his little Poppy. Her hair is brown, and she looks miserable. Steve's eyes well up with tears, and he definitely is at a decision making point on whether or not he should show this to Nat right now or wait for Bucky and this new guy later. He glances at the date on the back of the picture again. August 13, 2017. That was just yesterday. He looks at his little girl's bloodshot eyes, but his eyes travel to her cheeks where bruises have appeared. She has bruises on her arms and legs, which makes Steve ready for murder.

"Natasha!"

Natasha walks in the living room and sees the note and picture that Steve found in the mail, and it isn't long at all until Natasha breaks down again. Steve catches her in his arms and falls to the floor with her, crying over top of her.

"I'm so pissed right now!" Nat practically screams. "I want to find this sicko myself and kill him with my bare hands! How dare he? How dare he lay a finger on our sweet little girl? Look at her! She's so scared! She's so miserable! She's only three years old, and this is my fault!"

"Nat! Stop it!" Steve yells. Nat's sob quiet down as she listens to Steve talk. "This is not your damn fault, so quit blaming yourself! The only person to blame for this is the motherfucker who kidnapped her! That's all there is to it!"

"But Steve-"

"No! Natasha. You are a wonderful mother. Don't let some insecure asshole let you forget that. And I bet Allie is thinking the same thing about you," Steve says. "She loves you to death, and there is nobody in this world that can change her view on you except you."

"How can you be so fucking positive? Our daughter is missing, Steve! She went missing on my watch, so forgive me for wanting to share the blame because I should've been out there with her!" Nat snaps back.

"Nat. I don't know what to say," Steve says. He leans his back against the couch and squeezes Natasha in his arms. She wraps her arms around his and squeezes back when she feels Steve grab the phone.

Steve shakily presses a few buttons and puts the phone up to his ear. He sniffles and wipes a few tears away before the person answers.

"Hey. We need you over here right now. It's super important."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky and Wanda shake the hand of Detective Sam Wilson as he walks into Wanda's hospital room. Wanda is already dressed to go, despite doctor's (and Bucky's) orders, so they will all be leaving to Steve and Natasha's house.

"It's nice to finally meet the two of you. I hear a lot of great things," Sam says.

"Thank you, and so do we. You're excellent at what you do, so I hope you can help us find Allie as soon as possible," Wanda greets him.

"I hope so too. I went to school with Steve Rogers, and he's always been a good man. I hate to hear that his daughter is missing," Sam says.

"You went to school Steve? You sure we haven't already met?" Bucky asks.

"No. We went to college together for two years before I transferred to the police academy."

"Did you already look through the file?" Wanda asks.

"Yes. I was able to debrief myself on the case last night, and I have a few ideas, but I would like to speak with Steve and Natasha before we talk strategy," Sam responds. Wanda and Bucky nod their heads in agreement and impressiveness. Sam Wilson is a smart man. He definitely knows what he's doing.

Bucky's phone rings, and he quickly answers it. "Hello?"

"Hey. We need you over here right now. It's super important," Steve says.

"We're on our way."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam looks at the letter and picture sent to the Rogers' this afternoon. Not only is Sam an expert in kidnapping cases and behavioral analysis, but Sam is also an excellent debunker of anonymous letters. He can read hand writings and notice codes, for the most part. He's been staring at this piece of paper for a long time, but he doesn't understand why this letter is written in the way that it is in the bottom.

"It's a really weird and creepy letter," Sam begins. "The man who wrote this is very intelligent. Clearly, he can seduce women, bring them back to her place and kill her in cold blood. He knows a lot about psychology, so he's educated, and his code name is Agent Orange, so he could be related to someone who was a war veteran, or he can be a war veteran himself. I worked at the VA a lot, so I understand insanity and madness. Then again, he could be fucking with us."

"I don't think he's fucking with us," Bucky says. "He dyed the girl's hair and sent a picture of her to her parents with the darker hair, so he's gonna have to keep Allie locked up until there is a time to escape where people won't recognize her from the news or posters outside."

"I agree with that," Wanda says. "He's obviously an angry man. Any of the women's bodies that were found in my apartment complex can be an example of that along with this picture of Allie."

"I'm gonna keep looking at this. I feel like there is a deeper meaning in this letter because it doesn't make sense with the picture right now. Usually a guy like this is really organized and thoughtful. This seems like he's more scatterbrained. I don't think he really knew what he was writing," Sam says.

"Alright," Steve says. "It's good to see you again, Sam."

"Good to see you too, Steve. I wish it were under better circumstances," Sam says. He turns to Natasha and shakes her hand again before speaking to her. "I'm glad I finally got to meet the woman Steve Rogers finally fell in love with."

"Thanks, Sam. It's nice to meet you too," Natasha responds.

"Alright. Well if any of you need any questions answered, let me know," Sam says. "Otherwise, I'll be on my way out and ready to call whenever I decode this."

"How long do you think this will take for you to figure out?" Natasha asks.

"Probably not long at all considering the structure, and personality of the letter, and the tear of the side of the paper, I think it's safe to say that this person probably has a journal, and he was just bold enough to rip out something that means a lot to him and send it to you along with the picture," Sam says. "This guy is intricate, I'll give him that, but this ain't the first time I've seen something of this structure."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky and Wanda stay with Steve and Natasha for most of the rest of the day and fill them on their opinion about the kidnapper also being the killer in Wanda's building. Natasha and Steve nearly pass out when Bucky and Wanda say their goodbyes and promise them that they will bring Allie home. Steve and Nat fall asleep together on the couch, and both, Wanda and Bucky, feel the pain rise up in their chest to see their best friends in the whole wide world struggle. And just thinking about Allie struggling and being scared with that man who she doesn't know makes Bucky cry. Wanda consoles him on the way back to the apartment, and when they reach the apartment, Wanda pulls Bucky into a big hug, and they sit on the couch together in each other's arms.

"Oh, James. It'll be okay. That picture was taken yesterday, and he just dyed her hair. I don't think he's planning on murdering her. That's why he's doing this along with the murders of women who live in your building at the same time. There's got to be a story with this guy and why he's doing what he's doing, but we have help now. Sam is an expert at this, and I trust his opinion a lot," Wanda says.

"I know, and I know you're trying to help," Bucky sniffles. "But I was just thinking about the bruises all over her and how much he's brutalizing her. I don't even know if or how she will recover from this."

Wanda squeezes him a little bit more. "It's just something that will take time. But she's gotta know that she has all the support in the world behind her."

"I know," Bucky says.

Bucky turns his head and looks at his friend. His colleague. His partner. His other half. And he feels better when she's around. Yea, he's still upset and worried and stressed out about Allie, but Wanda can turn all that down for him, and he doesn't know what it means.

It doesn't matter to him anymore anyway because when she looks back at him with her big green eyes, he can't resist it anymore. He leans in and gently brushes his lips against hers, and she doesn't fight back. She lets it happen before she actually pulls Bucky in further to deepen the kiss.

They don't know what's going on right now. Are they so stressed and so worried that they need this? Do they need to feel a little bit of pleasure? Because this will always be a hard job to do, but they never felt the urge before to do this (at lease, not in a very very long time). Wanda turns around in Bucky's arms and straddles his hips on this couch. His hands immediately grab at her hips and slide up and under her shirt to feel the fiery essence of her skin touching his, and he's doesn't know how he's supposed to feel about the little moan she lets out in his mouth when he glides his tongue against hers.

"Mmm," Wanda sounds, but isn't like the moan she just let out. She pulls away from Bucky's lips and quickly gets off his lap.

"We can't let that happen again," She says as she tries to regain her regular breathing pattern.

"I know," Bucky says breathlessly. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not," Wanda responds. "It just shouldn't have happened."

"Agreed," Bucky says with a hint of regret in his voice.

"Now lets go look at that letter again. I trust Sam, but I want to see if I can decode whatever the hell this guy is talking about and see if it gets us one step closer to finding Allie," Wanda says as she gets up off the couch.

Bucky sits there for a moment and takes in what just happened. What did just happen? Were they bad friends for doing that?

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goodnight my little darling. I want you to be extra rested because we're gonna be leaving in a few days. I found a really nice home for us to live in Georgia. You're gonna love Georgia, sweetie. They have such a beautiful scenery. I haven't been there since I was a kid, and my dad took me with him to meet some of his war friends from Vietnam. He certainly loved it there, and I loved it too. I really miss him. You're just lucky you have a daddy to take care of you now.

Sweet dreams, June-bug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know what you all think! Much love!


	6. Lost and Floundered: August 17, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Natasha get another note in the mail. Sam takes a look at it and notices something specific about it. Bucky and Wanda receive another piece to the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy y'all are liking this so far! Things are only gonna get more intense from here on out.

"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." -C.S. Lewis

What a NiCe little quote. It's really true, but a lot of people don't recognize it until they have the experience to open their eyes. She opened her eyes today, and she was different. I think she's starting to get used to me. She gave me a hug. She gave me a real hug. A hug that I haven't felt in a long time. She didn't even cry when I opened my arms for her. She just walked right in them and gave me a hug! I'm very impressed with the progress she's making. I just hope she likes the new place we are going.

Now, you're probably wondering why I am telling you that I am leaving when I have a little girl that doesn't belong to me. The answer is simple. I WANT TO LEAVE. THIS ASS OF A CITY HAS WRECKED MY ENTIRE LIFE, AND I WANT TO START ALL OVER AGAIN! I am telling you this because I want you to know that you will Never see your little girl again. am i Clear?

signing off,  
Agent Orange

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Steve and Natasha immediately call Sam to their house as soon as they see this letter. They can't understand why the man who has kidnapped a little girl would be so open to her parents about it, but they are mostly heartbroken. This man threatens to leave the city with their little girl, and they don't have a clue as to where they are going. Are they leaving the state? The country? The world is a large place with plenty of places to hide, and there is no guarantee this man knows a few of these places.

Sam arrives quickly because he lives close to the Rogers' residence. He knocks on the door, which is quickly answered by Steve. He walks in as Natasha hands him the letter. He reads over the letter before he starts to analyze the handwriting and any possible clue hidden in the letter. Sam looks at the couple and shakes his head.

"I'm sorry. I don't see any pattern yet. Just a sloppy mess. I've been staring at the first letter for three days now," Sam apologizes.

"What are we gonna do? That creep is gonna run away with my daughter!" Natasha cries.

"I'm gonna get in touch with a friend of mine in the FBI and see if they can place a country wide search for her. Remember, he sent us a photo of what she looks like now," Sam says, pulling the photo out of the file with the other letter paper-clipped to the back of it. "If he keeps her hidden, that will make the search harder to do, but he's on the run, so he's scared. He will do anything to scare the both of you to feel better about it."

Steve and Natasha look defeated. Definitely a different side to the both of them that Sam has never saw before. They are looking down at the floor and choking back sobs. He watches as they saunter off to the living room to talk. Sam takes a seat at the kitchen table and stares at the note. There's gotta be something here to use. There's gotta be something because he can only imagine what this feels like, and he doesn't want his new old friends to be going through this anymore.

He stares at the note... Nothing.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Police Station  
Time: 4:53 p.m.  
Date: August 17, 2017

Bucky and Wanda haven't spoken a word about their kiss they shared the other night. Things weren't even awkward between them. They are too focused on Allie to worry about it right now. But their emotions have been so out of wack they don't even know how to feel. It doesn't help that instead of going to Steve and Nat's house today to work on the case, they were called to come into the station for an emergency meeting. Now they're sitting in a conference room, and they already know what's gonna happen. They've been called in for these many times before, but they anticipate who is going to be coming in between the manila envelope.

Their boss walks in with that manila envelope under his arm. Just as they expected. Their boss tosses the envelope towards the two of them who open it and see the face of a young woman who had been murdered in the same building that Wanda lived in.

"This is Erika Johnson. Twenty-seven, brunette, blue eyes, just like Lucy Shepherd. Just like the other woman this man killed. She was reported missing three days ago. Her friends say she went on a blind date with someone the night before. This is the information we need to find this guy. They went on a date to the movies and had dinner; there is bound to be video evidence," The boss says.

"I think if this guy is killing women with brown hair, blue eyes, approximately in their late twenties, who live in the same area, then I am almost positive that this is the same man who kidnapped Allie Rogers. He dyed her hair brown, and Allie's already got the blue eyes. So this makes me think that we really need to hurry up our search because if we don't find her, she could be the next one on his list! That is if he doesn't runaway with her first!" Wanda says.

"I agree. I want the two of you to go all the movie theaters and dinner restaurants and ask if they saw this woman in the last week," The boss says.

Wanda and Bucky nod and take the file along with a picture of Erika and leave the office. Once they step outside to Bucky's car, Wanda stops them.

"We can't tell Steve and Nat about this. Not yet. I hate keeping things from them, but I don't want them to go crazy over this guy's pattern of kills. He's already starting to show cracks in his plan. He sent a picture of Allie and what she looks like, so if he does travel, the whole world will be looking for her. He took this girl on a public date, so there has to be footage of them together on the night of August 14th," Wanda says. "He absentmindedly leaving clues for us to pick up. There might not be any DNA evidence, but he is starting to crack, and that's why I don't want Steve and Nat to know."

"Okay. I won't tell them," Bucky says. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yea. I know only two movie theaters near the apartment building, so let's start there," Wanda says.

"Alright. You wanna drive?" Bucky asks.

"Sure," Wanda says catching the keys after Bucky tosses them to her. They get in the car and start towards their next destination. They have twenty minutes to get there, and plenty to talk about.

"Soooo..." Bucky says.

"What?" Wanda asks.

"I wanna ask you something."

"Go ahead."

Bucky wipes his sweaty palms on the denim of his jeans and sighs. "I wanna ask you if I went too far with you the other night. I don't want you to be mad at me or have a change of heart about being my friend and my partner over it. I was lost in the moment."

"It's okay, James. You didn't go too far. You've went further with me before anyway, and I didn't tell you stop, so I don't see the problem," Wanda responds.

"Oh...okay," Bucky answers. "Wait."

"What?"

"You don't see the problem in a way that everything is cool, and you're not angry with me? Or you don't see the problem in a way that you liked the kiss and wanted to go further?" Bucky asks.

"I stopped the kiss, James, so I don't see the problem in the way that everything is cool, and I'm not angry with you about kissing me. It takes two people to kiss you know? Aren't you mad at me?" Wanda asks.

"What? Why I would be mad at you?"

"For stopping it."

Things in the car go silent for a minute. Wanda can feel the awkward tension rise, and she's not sure what Bucky is thinking. He could be thinking about how he should be mad at her and end up being mad anyway, but she's overthinking things right now. That's easy to do when you have been running on one hour of sleep a day and focusing on nothing but the case they have been working on.

"No. I wasn't, and I am not mad at you for stopping the kiss you crazy lady," Bucky says.

"Good. Because I don't like it when we're mad at each other."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam is looking at both the letter side by side. He does know that this handwriting is the same. He notices how some letters in the middle of the spelling of words are capitalized when others aren't, but all the letters are the same size on the paper.

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein. I've heard this plenty of times throughout my life, but I never felt like I experienced insanity from doing things over and over again. To me? It's more of an obsession. After doing the same thing over and over again for so long, I want something new to happen. I want to feel something new again. I want to feel. I can't feel my arms. My chest hurts. My legs feel like jelly, but I like it. I can never make up my mind. That's why I do things on impulse. I can't help it. I can't help it. I CAN'T HELP IT!!! But it gives me a rush to know what it's like to feel helpless. I just want others to feel that way too. So doing something over and over again makes me insane, huh? WRONG!

I don't expect a different result. I expect the exact same thing to happen the last time I did this! Do yOu VEry well see yourself figuRing me out? JUst thiNk agaIn yOu Repulsive HUMAN BEINGS!

Signing off,  
Agent Orange

"Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny." -C.S. Lewis

What a NiCe little quote. It's really true, but a lot of people don't recognize it until they have the experience to open their eyes. She opened her eyes today, and she was different. I think she's starting to get used to me. She gave me a hug. She gave me a real hug. A hug that I haven't felt in a long time. She didn't even cry when I opened my arms for her. She just walked right in them and gave me a hug! I'm very impressed with the progress she's making. I just hope she likes the new place we are going.

Now, you're probably wondering why I am telling you that I am leaving when I have a little girl that doesn't belong to me. The answer is simple. I WANT TO LEAVE. THIS ASS OF A CITY HAS WRECKED MY ENTIRE LIFE, AND I WANT TO START ALL OVER AGAIN! I am telling you this because I want you to know that you will Never see your little girl again. am i Clear?

signing off,  
Agent Orange

It's obvious that this guy is getting more and more unhinged at the thought that he left something behind that he shouldn't have. The picture of Allie? Maybe. It's hard to tell right now what is causing his erratic behavior, which is causing this handwriting to change. Stress? Anxiety? Excitement? There are too many possibilities, and everyone wants it to be anxiety, but Sam can't help but get the feeling of excitement from the person who sent these letters, and that could be why he acted to irrationally and sent a picture of Allie with brown hair.

"You getting it, buddy?" Steve asks, setting a cup of coffee on the table next to Sam.

Same takes a sip of the warm coffee and sighs. "Thank you. I'm getting somewhere. I just don't know where yet."

Steve looks at the letter and notices the same things Sam does. Sam starts reading the letter out loud to himself in a whisper, but he doesn't finish because the light bulb in his head has turned on.

"I think I figured it out!"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky and Wanda walk into the second movie theater near the apartment complex where women are being brutally killed. The theater is mostly empty with the exception of the man at the front, and a man sitting on a love seat beside the counter where the man working here is. They approach the man at the counter who's stance completely changes when he sees Bucky and Wanda show him their police badges.

"We need to speak to your supervisor," Bucky says.

The young man nods quickly and doesn't take his time going through the door that says "employees only". Wanda and Bucky looks around the old theater, which has now been abandoned by the man who was sitting on the love seat. They turn their heads when they see the young man enter the room behind an older man who greets Wanda and Bucky at the counter.

"Hello. Can I help you two?" The supervisor asks.

"Yes. I am detective Maximoff, and this is my partner detective Barnes. We are here because we have been working on a few murder cases, and we believe that our suspect came here the other night with this woman," Wanda says, showing the supervisor a picture of Erika.

The supervisor grabs the picture and shakes his head. "Is she...dead?"

"Yes. Her friends say she came here on a date four nights ago, which was the last night she was seen before she was killed. We have every reason to believe that the man she can in with is a suspect, so if you could please show us the surveillance footage for the night of August 14th, and we need this footage as soon as possible. It's imperative," Wanda says.

"Okay. Follow me," The supervisor says.

Wanda and Bucky follow the supervisor to an office where they can see all the footage from the lobby and each theater.

"Is this room empty all the time?" Bucky asks.

"No. We just had to fire the last guy who worked here, so we haven't had people watching the footage from in here. It's more of a precaution, so I'm not worried about finding someone for the job," The supervisor says as he looks through a drawer and finds a flash drive with the surveillance for the night of August 14th and hands Wanda and Bucky the evidence.

"All you have to do is pop that into the computer and find whatever time you need to look at," The supervisor says.

"Alright. Thank you. We'll tell you when we're done," Wanda says.

The supervisor nods as Wanda and Bucky begin their search through hours of footage. They see the various groups and couples that bought tickets. Bucky was looking at the surveillance from outside the movie theater when he finally finds the girl they've been looking for.

"Here she is. She must've waited on him to find a spot to park," Bucky says.

"What time?" Wanda asks.

"8:34," Bucky responds. He fast forwards the footage a few minutes when he sees the man who she was believed to be on a date with. This man is definitely older. He's tall and muscular. He definitely could've done any of the crimes they think he's committed.

"Can you get a better look at his face? It's too blurry," Wanda says.

"I can try, but I'm not that great with this stuff," Bucky says. He tries a few methods of zooming into his face, but he ultimately fails. "Let me try to get a better view of the guy's face."

Bucky fast forwards the tape a little more, but everything is cut off. "What the fuck?"

"What?" Wanda asks in disbelief. "He disabled the cameras before we could get a good look at his face. This has gotta be him."

"We can take it back to the station and have people who know how to do this take a look at this," Bucky says. "We're getting closer to catching him, Wanda. I think it'll be okay to go to tell Steve and Natasha."

"Great," Wanda says. They leave the surveillance room and thank the supervisor and his employee for their cooperation. Once they walk outside Wanda bumps into a man walking on the sidewalk and falls to the ground. She looks at the man who caused her to end up here, but didn't see his face. She only saw his back.

"Are you okay?" Bucky asks crouching down to her side and grabbing her hands to help her pull herself back up to her feet.

"Yea. I wasn't paying attention. I'll be okay," Wanda says, trying to look at the man again who has disappeared in the crowd of people. Bucky asks her is she's sure that she's alright and looks in the same direction as her, but she insists that everything is okay. They go back to the car and make their way to the station to drop off the flash drive before meeting Steve and Natasha.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Unknown  
Date: August 18, 2017  
Time: 2:09 a.m.

I walk into the room where Allie is sitting. She has tears running down her cheeks, which breaks my heart because I hate seeing my little girl sad. I hate seeing my little girl sad. I sit in front of her, and she flinches when she sees me. I almost flinch away from her, but I reckoned she flinched because she's crying. I hear her choke a bit, so I pull out the cough syrup and pour it into the syringe. I get her a juice box ready.

"Here, sweetie. Take this. It will help you stop coughing when you cry," I tell her.

She shakes her head and forces her mouth closed when I try to push the syrup down her throat. It's starting to get agitating. "C'mon now! Take the damn medicine!"

She starts to scream, so I have no other choice to force her to drink it. I pin her hands down with one hand and shove the syringe in her mouth and push the syrup in her mouth. She cries more, but she swallows it. She sits up and sobs, but I know that she has to be tired. The cough syrup should help her.

And it does. Once she's settles her cries down, she goes to sleep. She looks so cute when she sleeps. She looks like a beautiful princess who deserves the whole world, and I'm about to give it to her. I've already packed all the suitcases in the car. Now that Allie is asleep, it's the perfect time to leave, but I have to leave one more final message before we go:

"Where we love is home-- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts." -Oliver Wendell Holmes

Whoever finds this letter, I just want to wish you luck. Good luck in your life. Good luck in your job. Good luck trying to find me, for I am already gone. I get to start fresh. I have a new life! I am finally going to be happy! And I have the most beautiful little girl in the world by my side. I don't know what else to say, and I guess that comes with the happiness. I am so elated. I can't believe how my luck as turned. Now onto bigger and better things.

Goodbye world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you think!


	7. One Step Forward: August 18, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam has figured out who sent the letter. Bucky and Wanda are prepared for battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will reveal a lot of things in a short amount of time.

Location: Rogers' Residence  
Time: 9:05 a.m.  
Date: August 18, 2017

Bucky knocks on the door to his best friend's house. He and Wanda can hear the footsteps before the door is opened by Natasha who has tears running down her face. Wanda walks in and wraps her arms around the redhead and squeezes her. Steve walks up to Bucky and Wanda.

"I think you two need to come here," Steve says.

Bucky follows Steve first, but Wanda takes a moment with Natasha who is still sobbing in her arms. Wanda pulls away but leaves her hands on Nat's shoulders. "We've almost found him. Bucky and I traced the footsteps of the date he went on with his latest victim, and we saw what he looks like. But his face was blurry, and he cut the cameras before we could get a better shot of his face."

"Sam knows who he is," Natasha says.

"What?" Wanda asks.

"Sam has been here for days trying to look over the letters he sent us. Sam figured it out," Nat says.

"Hold on," Wanda says, leaving Natasha to join the three boys in the living room. Sam has the letters scattered on the table. He smiles when Wanda walks in the living room, and she takes a seat beside Bucky and Steve on the couch.

"Okay. Now that the two of you are here. Here's what I've got. I've looked at this letter longer than I should have because once I figured it out, it wasn't hard to see anymore. This guy has been leaving clues as to who he really is. We know him as Agent Orange, but he left a small clue," Sam begins. He hands Bucky and Wanda the letter again, and they look at it together. "I've been waiting to share this information with Steve and Natasha because you two are the leaders of this case. But now that the two of you are here, I can finally explain the clue."

"Alright," Bucky says. "Go ahead."

"Because this guy is so meticulous with how he kills. I feel he is very meticulous when he sends letters, so I think he wrote this letter a few times to get it just right. The thing is, he left us a major clue to his name, which makes me think he sent this letter accidentally," Sam says. "Take a look at the lettering at the very bottom of the letter, right before he signs off as Agent Orange."

"I don't expect a different result. I expect the exact same thing to happen the last time I did this! Do yOu VEry well see yourself figuRing me out? JUst thiNk agaIn yOu Repulsive HUMAN BEINGS," Bucky reads out loud.

"That is an odd sentence structure, but it's the capital letters," Wanda says. "D-O-V-E-R-J-U-N-I-O-R"

"Dover," Steve says. "John Dover's son?"

"That old man who lives up the road?" Wanda asks.

Bucky stands up, remembering information John had given him about his son. Mr. Dover's voice rings through his head:

[[[

"You remind me a lot of my son," John tells Bucky.

"Do I?" Bucky asks.

"Yea. You're both have fairly similar facial features, and you both have the same kind of humor," John says. Bucky asks him if his son visits a lot to which John tells him that he hasn't seen his son in ten years.

"Oh really? I hate to hear that," Bucky says.

"I don't know where he is, and frankly, I don't care where he is. He and I had a fallen out years ago over him and his girlfriend, and I wasn't listening to it. He got mad and left, and we haven't spoke since," John explains.

]]]

"He told me he had a son, but he said he hasn't spoken with him in ten years. They had a falling out or something," Bucky says. "But we need to question him anyway."

"Alright. We'll be right back. We need to get to Dover's house quickly," Wanda says. Steve and Natasha nod as Bucky and Wanda rush out of the house. They quickly start running up the road to John Dover's house, and once they reach the front door, they knock.

"Mr. Dover? This is the police! We need to talk to you. We have every reason to believe that your son kidnapped a little girl along with killing three women!" Wanda says. There is no answer. "Mr. Dover, please?"

Bucky pulls the screen door open and puts one hand on his gun before opening the front door to John Dover's house. "It's unlocked."

Wanda grabs her gun and is prepared for any danger that may come in the near future while looking through Dover's house. Bucky points his gun in front of him as he searches each room carefully. Wanda looks through the living room before making her way through the kitchen. It's until both of them yell that the coast is clear that they both put their guns away. Bucky holds up a piece of paper to show Wanda.

"I found this is Dover's bedroom," he says.

"'Where we love is home-- home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.' -Oliver Wendell Holmes. Whoever finds this letter, I just want to wish you luck. Good luck in your life. Good luck in your job. Good luck trying to find me, for I am already gone. I get to start fresh. I have a new life! I am finally going to be happy! And I have the most beautiful little girl in the world by my side. I don't know what else to say, and I guess that comes with the happiness. I am so elated. I can't believe how my luck as turned. Now onto bigger and better things. Goodbye world," Wanda reads.

"There is no sign of Dover. He took everything he needed with him," Bucky says.

"Are you saying John Dover conspired with his son to commit all these crimes?" Wanda asks.

"When I was upstairs. I found this in Dover's nightstand along with a hundred pictures of Allie," Bucky says handing Wanda a notebook filled with entries not only by John Dover Jr. but by John Dover Sr. too.

"Goodness. Apparently, Dover Jr. had a daughter who died at the age of seven. His wife left him for another man, and he had to move back in with his father. After all this, he starts showing an interest in Allie Rogers. Dover Jr. lived here all along. That means Allie has been here all along, and we never knew it! Not even when we interviewed him the first time!" Wanda says.

"Now we have to figure out where they are going."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's a short chapter, but things are starting to come together! Hopefully, Wanda and Bucky can find Allie in time!


	8. My Little Girl: August 23, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Natasha get help outside the police department to help find Allie. Wanda gets a letter in the mail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Natasha knocks on the front door of the Parker house. She, along with her husband, wait outside for a few minutes before they hear someone stumble to the front door. When the door opens, Steve and Natasha are greeted by a droopy-eyed Peter Parker. He squints when the sunlight hits his eyes, but smiles when he sees the couple and invites them into his home. He walks over to the couch and grabs a grey t-shirt off the back, slipping it over his head.

"Sorry to wake you, Peter. We just need your help," Natasha says.

"You need my help?"

"You're good with computers right?" Natasha asks.

"Yea. I'm pretty good with them," Peter says, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Why?"

"We want you to hack into police records, hospital records, any kind of information you have on John Dover and his son. We need to know everything about him," Natasha responds. She and Steve follow Peter to the computer in his room. Peter sits down and starts his computer up, then he turns to face Steve and Natasha who look extremely fatigued, extremely anxious, and extremely paranoid.

"Why do you want information on Mr. Dover? I didn't even know he had a son. And why aren't you asking Bucky and Wanda for help?" Peter asks.

"Mr. Dover and his son kidnapped our daughter, and his son is responsible for the murder of three women who live in Wanda's building. We aren't asking Bucky and Wanda to do this because they are trying to find our daughter. The police department isn't trying to help us find our daughter. The only people we have help from are Bucky, Wanda, Sam, Clint, and you, and I just want to find these bastards before they do anything else to hurt my daughter!" Natasha cries. Steve wraps his arms around her, and she turns to bury her face in his chest.

"Mr. Dover is responsible for Allie's kidnapping?" Peter asks.

Steve nods. "Yes. That's why we need your help. We need to find out why he took our daughter and where they possibly went with her. There's gotta be something we can look at that will help us."

"Alright. I'll start with police records," Peter says turning around to the screen and pressing many keys at a rapid pace. He pulls up the records of John Dover and John Dover Jr.

"Are you sure you won't get caught?" Steve asks.

"No. I've done this plenty of times," Peter says typing in Dover's last name. Steve and Natasha watch as various screens pop up on Dover's time in the military, speeding tickets, hospital records, marriage licenses, birth certificates, etc. all over the screen of Peter's computer. Peter starts scanning through the information.

"Interesting," Peter says after fifteen minutes of scanning.

"What?" Natasha asks.

"I found a mug shot of his wife, Katherine. She was brought in on charges of child abuse. She stayed in prison for two years because of it. But look at her," Peter says. Steve and Natasha look at the photo of Katherine Dover. She has blue eyes and brown hair like the victims of Dover Jr.'s murders. Like Allie does now.

"Did Dover Jr. ever get married and have any children?" Natasha asks.

Peter types many things in his computer and finds a marriage license between John Dover Jr. and a woman named Stephanie Roscoe.

"I found his wife. They were married in 2002 and had a daughter together in 2004...Oh...oh no," Peter says.

"What? What is it?" Steve asks.

"Their daughter went missing in November 2006. The police were called, but an altercation began when Dover Jr. threatened a police officer and her partner. Dover Jr. had a gun and shot at the female cop when the male cop on the scene shot him and was able to detain him before he could shoot at them again. Dover Jr.'s daughter was found dead by asphyxiation at the end of August of 2007," Peter reads. "That's why he snapped. It's the ten year anniversary of his daughter's murder."

"Did his daughter have blue eyes and brown hair?" Natasha asks.

"Yes."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda sits down on Bucky's couch with her mail that she got from the station. She files through the mail and come across a letter from the landlord. She rips the envelope open and pulls out the letter. She unfolds the paper and begins reading:

Wanda Maximoff,  
I'm writing you because I'm worried. I tried to call your apartment, and I even stopped by, but you are never there, and you haven't payed your rent. I was told that I could reach you through the police station, but I figured you'd be busy, so I wrote this letter. I am required to give you a notice about your overdue rent, and if you don't pay your rent by the end of this month, then I will be forced to evict you. If you aren't staying at the complex anymore, then please come by and let me know. Don't forget that you have plenty of items left in your apartment.  
Thank You,  
Jeffrey Moses, Landowner

Bucky walks in as soon as Wanda is finished. She sighs and throws the letter on the table. He takes a seat next to her with many files on John Dover and John Dover Jr.

"Is everything okay?" He asks.

"Yea. It's my landlord. I forgot to tell him that I wasn't staying at the apartment anymore, and my rent's overdue, and I still have a lot of stuff over there. I'm gonna have to go straighten this out," Wanda explains.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Bucky asks.

"Yes. I have a few things to grab, then I'll be done with my residency over there for good," Wanda says. "Thank you for letting me stay over here while all of this is going on. I'll try to find a place and get out of your hair as soon as possible."

"Don't worry about it. You can stay here as long as you want to," Bucky says.

Wanda sends him a small smile. "You're too good to me, James. I sometimes wonder if I should just marry you."

"You mean instead of going on dates with losers?" Bucky smirks.

"Shut up, goober," Wanda gently smacks his chest. "Not all of them were losers."

"They were all losers," Bucky says.

Bucky stares into Wanda's green eyes for a moment, and it was a moment for the first time this whole month that both of them forget what's going on. They shouldn't be thinking about it that way, but Wanda's heart starts racing when she sees a twinkle spark across Bucky's sky blue eyes. She forgets how to breathe, and she wonders if Bucky is feeling the same thing she does. So she's been feeling this way for a long time. So she sometimes does go on dates with losers just so she can feel better about her developing feelings for her partner. And of course Bucky feels the same way. They've both been so blinded by darkness and despair that they forget what a happy relationship looks like, and that's probably why they hang around Steve and Natasha so much. Steve and Natasha are so deeply and madly in love with each other that it can be sickening, but it's a sickening feeling that everybody secretly wants to have. And little Allie just made everything about the love Steve and Natasha have together that much stronger.

That's why they have to think about Allie. They have to hurry and go to Wanda's apartment, so they can quickly get back to looking for Allie because they are so close to finding her. They are so close to it, and it's becoming unbearable.

"You ready to go?" Bucky asks, bringing the both of them out of their thoughts.

"Yea. Let's go. I wanna hurry."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda is walking upstairs with her landlord who she has already spoken to about moving out. She pays her two months of rent and is walking to her apartment to grab a few things. Bucky was going to come with her, but she told him to wait outside because she wasn't sure how many things she needed to get, and she didn't want to have to find a parking place and have to walk all the way to her apartment and all the way back to the car with a bunch of her things.

"Thank you, Jeffery. You're such a great landlord. I hate that this is happening to you," Wanda apologizes.

"It'll be alright, Wanda. I know you're on the case in finding this guy. I think you'll be happy to know that I'm finally gonna have a security system, which includes cameras, installed in the building. That way we can avoid another situation like this," Jeffery says.

"I'm really happy to hear that. I wish you nothing but the best! Bye, Jeffery," Wanda waves at him.

"Bye, Wanda."

Jeffery walks away, and Wanda walks through the threshold of her apartment. Something about it seems so different when she walks in, and when she looks around, she sees why. Her apartment is a mess, and she didn't leave it like this when she moved out at the beginning of the month. She places her hand on her gun, which is in a holster on her pants. She pulls the handgun out of her holster and holds the gun in front of her, ready to defend herself if she needs to. She looks around the living room and sees no one. She looks through the kitchen and even in her fridge, which is now empty. Someone has definitely been here when she hasn't been. She finally walks down a short hallway to her room, where the door is shut. She can hear someone crying in there, and she immediately goes to open the door.

When she opens the door to her room, she is shocked.

"Oh my God! Allie!" Wanda yells in a whisper.

"Wanda!" Allie cries and runs to the woman. Wanda feels the tears stinging her eyes, and she can't help but squeeze the little girl in her arms. Those bastards brought her here for who knows how long! Wanda looks at the child. Her brown hair is matted together, up in a pony tail. She has dirt streaks on her face from where she is dirty and has been crying. She has bruises all over her arms and legs.

"Allie? Where are the men who took you?" Wanda asks.

"They left!" Allie continues to cry.

"Okay. Let's get out of here. Uncle Bucky is in the car right in front of the building," Wanda tells her. She grabs Allie's hand and turns around to be met with the face of Allie's kidnappers. John Dover stands near the door with an evil glint in his eyes. John Dover Jr. stands tall and proud of everything that he's done. He towers over everyone in the room, but he seems familiar...like she's bumped into him before. Maybe on multiple occasions.

"I don't think so, sweetheart," John Dover Jr. says.

In a moment of panic, Wanda does what she thinks is best for Allie's sake. She knows the old man can't catch Allie because Allie runs too fast, but that won't stop Jr. from running after her, and he is the one Wanda is worried about catching Allie. She fast walks up to the taller and younger man and causes a distraction by trying to grab his wrists to stop him from hurting either one of them.

"Allie, run! Tell Bucky to take you home!" Wanda yells as she distracts the taller man so Allie can run quickly past the older man. She makes her escape and runs out the door, leaving Wanda feeling relieved for her goddaughter.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky is about the turn the car off when Wanda takes a long time. She told him to stay there, but he has a feeling that something is wrong. But he keeps his word and doesn't get out of the car. He leans his head against the headrest of the seat and closes his eyes. He doesn't have his eyes closed for a long time when he hears frantic pounding on the passenger door.

When he opens his eyes, he sees the top of a brown-haired little girl's head and opens the door, shocked to see Allie Rogers climb inside with tears running down her cheeks, giving him a big hug. Bucky is amazed to see Allie run out of all the building in New York, but he can't comprehend what happened that got her out here, so he wraps his arms around her and kisses her forehead.

"Allie! Allie! Are you okay?" Bucky asks.

"No. I'm scared. Wanda told me to run. She told me you'd take me back home right now," Allie cries.

"What do you mean? Are the men who took you in there with Wanda?" Bucky asks. Allie slowly nods.

Bucky doesn't know what to do. He should do what Wanda tells him to do, but he can't. But if he doesn't, then he runs the risk of having Allie being kidnapped again by Dover and his son, and he can't risk that.

He speeds off.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky, with a bright red light on top of his car, quickly pulls into Steve and Natasha's driveway. He tells Allie to stay in the front seat until he tells her to come to him, and she obeys. He can tell she's excited to be home because she was talking to Bucky about seeing her mommy and daddy again the whole way to Steve and Nat's. Bucky didn't want to scare Allie about Wanda, so Bucky put on a smile for her as she talked. She must've gotten her talkativeness from Steve. Bucky walks to the front door and knocks on it a few times, waiting for Steve or Natasha to open the door.

"Bucky," Steve says as he opens the front door. "Got any updates?"

"Yea. A really significant one," He says. He turns to look at his car and beckons for Allie to get out. She opens the door and swiftly runs towards the men standing in the doorway. Bucky sees the happiness reappear in his best friends eyes when he sees his daughter run back into his arms. It was a nice sight to see. He knows how hard this has been on Steve and Natasha, and he feels a pit of happiness grow in his stomach when he thinks about how much better Steve and Nat will feel knowing their daughter is home again.

"Natasha!" Steve yells for his wife as he picks his little girl up in his arms. Allie wraps her tiny arms around Steve's neck and buries her face there. "Oh I've missed you so much, Poppy!"

Allie sobs. "I missed you too, daddy."

The sound of that sentence, alone, could break anyone's heart. Allie was really scared. She really missed her mommy and daddy. She's been through a lot this month. Bucky blinks away tears at the thought of this.

Bucky sees Natasha walking up behind the group on her phone. "Steve, Peter says he has more informa-" Natasha begins, but freezes when she sees Steve holding their little girl, she drops everything in her hands and rushes to her husband and daughter. She's already crying when she reaches them, and her hands are shaking, and her voice is wavering, which is something nobody has ever heard Natasha do. Not even Steve, so it shows how difficult life has been without their daughter with them. "Oh my God! We've missed you so much! Aliana, you don't know how much we missed you, sweetie!"

Steve and Natasha take a moment with Allie before Steve hands Allie to Nat. Nat knows that are talking about something important, so she talks to the little girl to distract her from the bad news Bucky is about to give.

"Where was she?" Steve asks Bucky.

"She was in the same building that Wanda lives. Wanda's been staying with me, so they decided to take her there. Wanda got a letter from her landlord, and she went to her apartment to get some more things. She told me to wait in the car. Next thing I know, I see Allie climbing into my car. She told me that Wanda told her to run to me, and told me to take her home," Bucky begins.

"What happened to Wanda? Where is Wanda?" Steve asks.

"I have to go back. Allie told me Dover Jr. got a hold of Wanda when she told Allie to run away. I have to go! I'm sorry! I need to help Wanda!" Bucky says as he races back to his car. "I'll come back when Wanda is safe. In the mean time, go get your daughter checked out at the hospital. She has bruises all over her arms and legs. Call Sam and tell him that Allie is home!"

Bucky drives off before Steve and Nat have a chance to say anything. But when he told them to tell Sam that Allie is home, they both felt a huge weight being lifted from their shoulders. They feel a huge debt was to be owed to Bucky and Wanda, but they were concerned for their friends' safety. They walk inside and close the door, watching their changed daughter get comfortable with being home again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting good! I couldn't help but leave off with a cliffhanger. Much love!


	9. The Kill (Bury Me): August 23, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky tries to get to Wanda before it's too late. Steve and Natasha adjust to having a different Allie home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I hope you all enjoy this chapter because we're getting close to last chapter.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Violence, Creepiness, Uncomfortable touching of the nonconsensual kind. Tiny bit of gore
> 
> Wanda is kind of OOC in this chapter.

"A pressing matter, this truly is. I hate to meet you like this, but I gotta do what I gotta do. Oh! It pains me to do this to another beautiful woman. But you? Oh you are different. You are different because we have a history. Do you remember that day?"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now for some good news to end tonight's show. Aliana Rogers, the three year old little girl who went missing earlier this month has returned safely to her mother and father's arms. The police say, the three year old was kidnapped by a neighbor and his son and held captive. That was until Detectives Wanda Maximoff and James Barnes found Aliana Rogers and returned her to her family. Her kidnapper is believed to be John Dover Jr who, with the help of his father, was not only able to kidnap this young child, but also be behind the murders of three women in Brooklyn. John Dover and his son are still at large," The anchorman says on the news.

Natasha turns the television in the hospital room off. She leans her head in the palm of her hand and turns to look at her sleeping daughter cuddling her sleeping husband. She didn't want to sleep in the hospital bed all alone, and she asked Steve to sleep in the bed beside her. It's a relieving and adorable sight, but Natasha can't let herself be comfortable with everything just yet. She's elated and grateful that her daughter is finally home, but she is worried about Wanda too. Wanda is the reason Allie was able to get out of there. She is the reason why Allie is not in the arms of a madman anymore. Natasha doesn't know how she's gonna repay her.

Bucky too. Nat knows Bucky wanted to wait to bring Allie home and help Wanda, but he decided to bring Allie back to her and Steve. She could tell how scared Bucky was just by the quivering of his voice when he was explaining what happened. He really cares about her. If she didn't know any better, she would say Bucky could love Wanda more than a partner. More than a friend.

"What are you thinking about?" Steve asks groggily.

Nat meets the bright blue eyes of her beautiful husband and shrugs. "Allie. You. Wanda. Everything."

"You worried about her?" Steve asks.

"Yes. I feel like it's my fault," Nat responds.

"Nat? You are not the cause of this. Wanda was getting stuff out of her apartment. She didn't know the Dovers would be there with Allie. They completely threw us off with that second letter. There was barely a clue in that one," Steve says. "She is going to be okay. She went to school to train for situations like this."

Nat sighs and lays her head down on the bed. "I guess you're right, but I'm not gonna stop worrying about her until I know she's okay."

"Come lay down with us. I'm sure we can all fit on this bed," Steve says, making Nat smile for the first time all month.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Wanda's Apartment  
Date: August 23, 2017  
Time: 7:47 p.m.

Bucky quickly comes to a stop in front of Wanda's apartment building. He rushes inside and runs into her landlord, Jeffery. He's standing at the door looking through his mail when he is caught off guard by Bucky's swiftness.

"Can I help you?" Jeffery asks.

"Yes," Bucky says moving his jacket to reveal the badge clipped the belt loop of his pants. Jeffery nods and listens when Bucky speaks next. "I need your key to the apartment of Wanda Maximoff."

"Okay. Is there something I should warn my tenants about?" Jeffery says as he walks to a cabinet in his office, looking for the spare key to Wanda's apartment.

"The man who has been murdering the women here is in the building again. He has Wanda right now, and I have to go help her. If you want to evacuate as quickly and quietly as you can, please do so," Bucky says taking the key from Jeffery. Jeffery nods his head and walks to the phone in his office. Bucky runs.

He feels like he is going up stairs for ever before he reaches the floor where Wanda's apartment. He comes up the closed door of Wanda's apartment. He looks through the peephole to make sure neither Dover is in the way of the front door. He can hear conversation in the room, but he can't make out what they are saying. He takes the key and quietly pushes it in the keyhole. He unlocks the door and tiptoes his way inside. He softly closes the door and tiptoes through the living room, down the hall to the door of Wanda's bedroom. The door is cracked open, so he takes a peek inside.

Wanda is standing with her hands pinned behind her by the young Dover. He has his face pressed up against hers, and he can feel how uncomfortable she is. She is barely able to stand on her feet. He presses his ear closer to hear what they are saying.

"Do you remember that day? Do you Wanda? You weren't a detective then, were you? You or that ass of a partner of yours..."

Bucky's jaw clenches, but he isn't offended by the name calling. He knows what Dover is talking about. He knows what happened that day. He remembers how scared he and Wanda were when they had to tell a man at this address that his daughter's body had been found. He remember is being the first month of their new jobs outside of the "rent-a-cop" world. They both felt confident going into this, but then they met the man. They didn't know his name, but they had to tell him that his three year old daughter had been killed. It's a tough job, but Wanda and Bucky had to do it. They didn't expect this man to be psychotic. Despite an officer getting hurt and another officer having to shoot a man, the both of them couldn't help but feel remorse for him at that time. He lost his daughter. Bucky would go insane if he had a daughter who wound up missing and dead...But he did. He had a goddaughter who ended up missing for almost an entire month. That's too long for a girl her age. And who knows what these two would've done to her had Wanda not found her here?

"DO YOU REMEMBER OR NOT, WANDA?" Dover yells, catching Bucky off guard. He catches Wanda off guard too because she flinches when he yells in her ear.

"Yes! I fucking remember okay? How can I forget the first time I get shot?" Wanda yells back.

Dover Jr. slaps Wanda in the face. He quickly grabs her hands and pins them behind her back before she can defend herself again. "Do NOT give me smart ass answers, Wanda. I will kill you right here, right now."

"Calm down, son," The older Dover tells his son. "You don't want to mess this part up. Do you?"

"Of course not," Dover Jr. says in a calmer tone. He takes a few deep breaths and presses himself against her face again. She can smell his breath. She can smell his cologne. He is not taking it easy on her. "Let me ask you this, Wanda."

Wanda takes a deep breath and feels a nauseating feeling in her stomach come about as he says that sentence. Everything. Everything that is happening right now, and everything that has happened this month is making her nauseated.

"Do you remember my face when I pointed my gun at you and shot you?" Dover Jr. asks.

"I don't remember your face at all. I would've recognized you when I found out that you killed those three women along with kidnapping my goddaughter! I hate to say it. You just don't have a memorable face," Wanda responds.

She can feel John Dover Jr's chest begin the heave. He must really hate it when people don't remember him because he seems like he gong to throw a tantrum right now just because Wanda told him she doesn't remember his face. His hand balls up into a fist. He pushes Wanda, but holds onto her hands, making her spring back. Dover Jr. kicks her in the back, and Wanda falls to the floor, holding her back.

He kicks her in the stomach a few times before joining her on the floor and straddling her hips.

"I didn't want to get into this with you like this, Wanda. I was hoping that we would be having a little bit of fun in this position because you are quite a beautiful woman," Dover Jr. says getting in her face and pinning her hands above her head. "Although, I would say that I am having a little bit of fun right now." His hands slide to her thighs, and he squeezes so hard, and Wanda wants to cry out in pain, but when he looks past John's head, she sees Bucky slowly walk in, and that makes her hold back.

"YOU SEE, Wanda, I've always saw myself with a woman like you," He says as he begins gently touching every part of her body that he mentions. "Dark hair. Sparkling green eyes. Long. Long Legs. Ah! And those lips."

He lowers his face, and he's looking directly in eyes. She closes them when he turns her head and glides his tongue up and down her face. She could really go for a puke break right now.

"You are the perfect woman," Dover Jr. says. "But you know too much."

He stands up and grabs Wanda's gun. He points it at her, and before he pulls the trigger, Wanda kicks him between the legs. He falls to his knees, holding his groin and groaning in pain. Bucky has the older Dover in a choke hold. Wanda grabs her gun from John Dover Jr. and points it at him.

"The both of you just made a huge mistake," Dover Jr. says.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Natasha unlocks the front door to their house. Steve is carrying a sleeping Aliana in his arms as they cross the threshold to their home. Steve says he's gonna take Allie up to their room and let her sleep. Nat nods and sits on the couch in the living room. Steve comes downstairs a minute after taking Allie up there. He sits beside her on the couch and puts an arm around her. She lays her head on his chest and wraps both of her arms around him to give him a bear hug.

"She's home."

"I know."

"Things feel different."

"Very different."

"Should we go upstairs with her?" Steve asks.

"Please?" Nat responds.

She and Steve are about to head upstairs when they hear a knock on the front door. Afraid it is about Wanda and Bucky, they hesitate to answer, but they can't let the man stand out there. They need to know something. So they walk over to the door open it, revealing friendly faces, Sam Wilson and Clint Barton.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Natasha asks.

"We heard Allie got to come home. We just wanted to see how everything went at the hospital," Sam responds.

"Did you two show up together?' Natasha asks.

"No," Clint says. "I saw Sam drive past my house, and I heard on the news that Allie came home, and I wanted to see how everything was too."

"Aww. That's very nice of the both of you. She's fine. She's upstairs sleeping in our bed. Steve and I were about to go up there with her," Nat responds.

"No broken bones? No inappropriateness?" Sam asks.

"No. The only things that were alarming to us was the drugs in her system and the lack of food of water in her system. They had to pump her stomach and give her fluids because she was very dehydrated, but she is perfectly fine now. She ate at the hospital, peed, and they said she was okay. But they also said she would be sleepy for a while. It's not uncommon in a case where a child has been taken from their family," Nat explains. She has to stop because she felt like she wanted to cry, but she didn't want to anymore. It's hard to think about it and cry, let alone tell someone else what happened.

"We just wanted to tell the both of you that we really appreciate all the hard work and effort you both put in to help us find our daughter. We're both sitting here thinking about how we can repay each of you because we have no clue how to express how thankful we are for the both of you," Steve explains.

"You don't have to repay me. Just take care of that girl, and I'll be perfectly happy," Clint responds.

"Me too. It's my job, so you don't have to repay for anything," Sam says. Steve and Nat smile at the two men. "Alright. Well, we can see that you two are clearly exhausted, so we will get out of your hair for tonight. We'll probably be back tomorrow."

"Okay. We will see the both of you tomorrow," Nat says before she calls for Sam again. "Sam?"

Sam turns around and meets Natasha in the middle. "Do you have any information on Wanda and Bucky?"

"I'm afraid I don't I told the chief of police about the situation, and he has a lot of guys going to Wanda's building, but they have a protocol they gotta follow. They don't just go inside because that will spook the guy, and he could end up really injuring or killing someone, which is what they want to avoid. But I will call as soon as I have an update," Sam responds.

"Thank you, Sam. You've been a good friend," Nat says, giving the man a hug and waving goodbye.

She joins Steve in the house and close and lock the door. They walk upstairs to their room where their daughter is laying peacefully asleep in the middle of their bed. Steve and Nat get on either side of their daughter and close their eyes, drifting off to sleep.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda is pushed into a bookcase, where she takes a chance and throws a book at Dover Jr's face. He holds his nose and finally tastes the blood that she can taste in her mouth. Dover's father is in the floor after Bucky put him in a choke hold. After Bucky causes Dover's father to pass out, he goes after Dover Jr, and Bucky does a good job, but Dover got the upper hand when kicked Bucky's stomach and punched him out cold. Wanda tried to find her gun, but Dover Jr stepped on her hand, and kicked her down. He punched her face a few times, causing the blood she tasted in her mouth, but she got an upper hand on him when she punched him in the stomach. He grabs a rope out of a bag in the floor, which isn't her stuff, and pushes Wanda into her bookcase.

She tries to grab the rope out of his hands, but he tightens his grip and turns her around, wrapping the rope around her neck and pulling as hard as he can. She can feel the air leaving her lungs as she begins to struggle to breathe. She grabs at the rope around her neck, but he's a hell of a lot stronger than her. She was able to pull it away to get another gasp of air.

Then, everything hits her. Everything she's lived through up until this moment. Her life is flashing before her eyes, and she feels like she is going to die. She wishes she could see her family right now. She wishes she could see Allie and Steve and Natasha again. She wishes she could tell Bucky that she is in love with him.

Bucky walks up behind John Dover Jr and hits him over the head. Dover gets distracted and lets go of the rope around Wanda's neck. Wanda falls to the floor and tries to calmly catch her breath, raising her hand to touch her throat. It's easier said than done. Bucky and Dover Jr are in the middle of a fight when Dover Jr trips over Wanda in the floor. He hits his head on a table in Wanda's room and is knocked out. Bucky quickly checks Dover's pulse before checking on Wanda.

"Is he still alive," Wanda asks in short, rigid breaths.

"Yes."

"Do you remember him?"

"No. Not until he mentioned it," Bucky responds."Are you okay?"

"Yes."

Bucky is trying to help Wanda back to her feet when she sees the older Dover pointing a gun towards Bucky. She starts to panic.

"James!" Wanda says and pushes Bucky out of the way. A gunshot goes off.

"Wanda? Wanda! Are you hurt?" He asks.

"No! I'm fine!" She responds.

They turn to look at the man who shot the gun off, and they see him laying on the floor.

"Dad?" They hear a voice behind them. John Dover Jr rushes over to his father whose head is splattered on the wall behind him. "Dad! I-I didn't mean to! I-I didn't mean to!" He turns to Wanda and Bucky. "Look what you made me do! I'm going to kill you!"

Bucky raises his gun quickly and two gun shots go off. John Dover Jr falls to the ground. Dead. Bucky looks beside him, and Wanda is on the ground. A bullet in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So things are gonna be alright! It's gonna be a weird transition from this chapter to the next because the next chapter starts the resolution, and I wanted to make it a different tone than the rest of these chapters? I don't know, yet.
> 
> Let me know what you all think! Much love!


	10. Don't Know What You Got Till It's Gone: August 23, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda fights for her life, but she isn't alone. Steve and Natasha meet with Bucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still have a few more chapters to go, but this story is almost over. I have been thinking about something I can do with this story after it ends, but I'll wait for the last chapter to announce it.

Location: Hospital  
Date: August 23, 2017  
Time: 11:53 p.m.

Bucky looks at his watch for the fifteenth time in the last three hours. He's been sitting in the waiting room by himself waiting to hear anything about Wanda. He can't stand to sit in this bland waiting room. The painfully bright lights giving him a headache, the eleven o'clock news getting ready to go off the television, and the sound of sick patients, waiting to be called back to the emergency room. He feels like he could lean his head back against the uncomfortable chair he's sitting in, but his mind keeps drifting back to Wanda. He can't sleep until he knows she's okay. He looks around at all the misery in the room. The woman across the room has the flu and is barely able to breathe. There is a man sitting against a wall adjacent to him who is bleeding from his eye. Then his eyes meet a small little girl's. She is sitting in her mother's lap with a splint on her leg. She is staring at Bucky, and Bucky wonders what she thinks of him. The little girl then does something that helps him breathe a little bit. She flashes a smile in his direction. This tiny little girl, smiling at him, despite her own misfortune with a broken leg. He smiles back at her and leans his head back against his chair. He stretches his legs out in front of him and takes a deep breath.

"You are going to be okay, Wanda," He thinks to himself.

He wants to have kids someday. He has always wanted kids. He just has found that right person yet. Sure, he's been on plenty of dates with a lot of nice girls, and he sure has slept with plenty of them too, but he never pictured himself having a family with any of them. Well, maybe one time. Maybe not. Bucky doesn't know how he feels. He doesn't know how he's supposed to feel.

"Uncle Bucky!"

Bucky opens his eyes and sees the tiny little girl whom he returned home to her parents just hours ago. Behind her are Steve and Natasha who still look exhausted but a lot happier than they have been.

"Hey guys!" He says, picking Allie up off the floor and hugging her tightly to him.

"Have they told you anything about Wanda?" Natasha asks.

"No. They've been doing emergency surgery on her for the last three hours," Bucky responds, feeling that tightness return to his chest.

"You okay, buddy? Have you been checked out?" Steve asks.

"Yea. They told me I had to get checked out before I could see Wanda," Bucky says with a large sigh.

"Is that all?"

"Yea."

Steve isn't buying it. He knows he's worried about Wanda. Wanda's been in this situation before, but he seems way more worried about her this time than he did the last time. Bucky seemed angrier the last time Wanda was having surgery to remove a bullet. Steve never did find out why, but when Wanda turned out to be okay, it didn't seem to matter anymore. Though, now that Steve is reminiscing, he does recall Bucky and Wanda not speaking to each other for a solid month. Wanda was living with Nat, and Steve would stay there from time to time, and he remembers hearing Natasha asking Wanda why her and Bucky aren't talking. He remembers hearing Wanda cry but saying that she couldn't tell her because it was too hard. That was a long time ago. Here they are again. They all sit together in the waiting room, and Bucky is happy that he isn't here alone anymore.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You really should go get some sleep," Nat tells Bucky.

Bucky shakes his head, "No. I gotta stay here. I need to be here when she wakes up."

"You at least need to get something to eat or drink," Nat says.

"Nat. I appreciate it, but I promise I'll be okay until I hear something about Wanda," Bucky says.

Nat doesn't bother arguing with him. It's already almost two in the morning, and all their nerves are on edge. All but Allie, who is sleeping soundly in father's lap. She is curled up into his chest and sleeping like she hasn't gotten any sleep in months. Natasha isn't surprised that it Allie is asleep with the month she's had. She only wishes she could sleep like her too.

Bucky closes his eyes for a minutes and widens them as he tries to stay awake. He leans his elbow against the arm rest of the chair and lays his head in his hand. He stays like this for a few minutes before he pops his head back up.

"Wanda Maximoff!" The doctor that Bucky remembers talking to before Wanda began surgery calls out. Bucky stands up with Steve and Natasha. The walk up to the doctor and wait for his prognosis on Wanda. "Are you all here for Wanda Maximoff?"

"Yes, sir. How is she?" Bucky asks.

"This was one of the more difficult surgeries I've had to perform to extract a bullet due to the location. It took us a while to find where she was bleeding and find the trajectory of the bullet. She crashed one time on the table, which took us about ten minutes to revive her. Once she came back to us, we had to give her a blood transfusion because she lost a lot of blood. We were able to extract the bullet, and she's in a stable condition, but with all the stress she was under before and during the surgery, we want to keep her for observation," The doctor explains. "Do any of you have any questions?"

"When can we go see her?" Bucky asks.

"Once the nurse gets her settled in the ICU, I will have her come out here and grab you, but only one person at a time is allowed to go back," The doctor says. "If that's all, then I will leave you all to it."

"Thank you, doctor," Bucky says. The doctor walks away, and they all wait for the nurse come.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky walks in the ICU first. He follows the nurse to Wanda's room, and he feels all air leave his lungs the closer he gets to see her. His hands are shaking and sweating, and he feels like he could throw up. The last time they were here, things didn't go well. He had to make sure there were no surprises this time when he talked to the doctor a while ago. Maybe that's why he can't bring himself to walk in yet. Because he knows how badly it went with Wanda the last time. Geez, that was years ago. This is different. He has to go in.

He peeks around the corner and sees Wanda laying in bed with her eyes closed. She has a breathing tube in her throat, and she is hooked up to plenty machines that make plenty beeping sounds. He walks past the glass door and a teal colored curtain to get to the chair beside her bed. He takes a seat and rubs his eyes to keep himself awake for a little bit longer. He knows Steve and Natasha want to see her before they go home, so he doesn't want to fall asleep while they're waiting.

"I don't really know what to say to you, Wanda. I know you really can't hear me. I used to wonder why people would talk to patients when they were unconscious and couldn't hear them. I finally understand. I am so worried about you, and I hope that talking to you will help the both us. You need to keep fighting. I know how tired you are because we've been busting our asses looking for Allie, but you need to fight for a little bit longer because we need you. I'm not trying to be cliche, but it's true. You know I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it," Bucky says.

He grabs her soft hand and presses his lips to it. She looks so pale, but the doctor did say she had to have a blood transfusion. Her eyes have dark circles around them, but she looks perfect no matter what. Bucky stands up. He has to let Steve and Natasha see Wanda before he falls asleep.

Bucky meets Steve and Natasha and Allie in the waiting room of the ICU. Allie is asleep in on the couch, and Bucky holds the door long enough for Natasha to go back with her. He closes the door and sits in a chair near the door. He feels tears stinging his eyes, and tries to blink them away, but Steve walks up to him and pats him on the shoulder. He wipes a few tears off his face.

"You sure you're alright, Buck?" Steve asks.

"Yea," Bucky sniffles. "It's been a long month. It's been a long day, but I'm happy we found Allie."

Steve looks at his sleeping little girl and smiles. "Me too. Nat and I don't know how to begin to repay you and Wanda."

"You don't have to repay us. Just keep being our best friends, and we'll all be okay," Bucky responds wiping away another tear.

Steve can feel when something still isn't right. He knows Bucky is hiding something from him. Nothing huge, but something is being hidden.

"I feel like you aren't telling me the whole truth. I know you are hiding something, Bucky. Just tell me," Steve says.

Bucky's eyes refill with tears, and he sighs. Steve takes a seat next to him and gives Bucky time to compose himself. Once he does, he looks at Steve with sincere eyes.

"I'm in love with her. I almost lost her tonight. I don't know what to do. I've never felt this before," Bucky finally says it. A smile grows on Steve's face. He knew this was coming. He knew Bucky was in love with her. He knew it from the day Bucky came home from the police academy talking about a beautiful brunette who helped him pass his classes. He knew it from the day Bucky introduced her to Steve. He'd never done that before, so Steve knew that Wanda meant something special to him. It puts Steve in a good mindset to know that his best friend is finding out what being in love is like.

"Tell me what to do, Steve," Bucky demands.

"Well, that's the tricky thing about falling in love, Buck. You can't get help from people. When you're in love, you do things on impulse regardless of what people tell you to do. It's in our nature. Do what you think you should do," Steve responds.

"I'm just scared. I'm scared to tell her that I love her because what if she doesn't love me back?" Bucky asks. "What if she's repulsed by the idea of me and her together as a couple?"

"She wouldn't do that. You've slept together before, and she's still your friend and partner, right?" Steve asks.

"Yes, but we both swore that we wouldn't bring that night up, so stop talking about it," Bucky says.

"Take it one day at a time buddy. You'll know when the time is right to tell her," Steve says. The door opens as Natasha brings Steve back to Wanda's room. Bucky moves a couple seats down to sit next to the couch that Allie is asleep on. With a deep breath, Bucky says:

"I hope you're right, Steve."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed! I know it's short, but I'm getting towards the end here! I did reveal a big thing at the end, and I added a little more mystery to the story. Will that be solved? We'll see. Much love!


	11. Love On The Brain: August 26, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda continues to recover. Bucky doesn't know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is me winging it. It's a weird chapter because you usually don't put adult content in a chapter where one of the main characters is still in the hospital, but I am making this kind of like a flashback chapter. There is a lot to know about the history between Bucky, Wanda, and John Dover Jr.
> 
> Warnings: If you're not familiar with references to sex, then you might want to keep your guard up.
> 
> Enjoy!

Wanda was moved out of the ICU two days after her surgery. Bucky is relieved that Wanda can breathe on her own, but he is anxious to see her when she wakes up. She's been out of it for the last two days. The doctor says that it's not uncommon with this type of casualty along with the stress and exhaustion she's had all month. Bucky just misses her eyes. He misses her smiles, and all he wants is for her to be happy. He wonders if she could be happy with him. Can he make her happy? This questions almost drives Bucky insane in Wanda's hospital room. He wishes he could get rid of his feelings because he doesn't know what to do about them. Does he act on them? Does he keep them to himself? Does he ruin a fifteen year friend/partnership? A gigantic part of him is telling him not to say anything, but the strongest part of him is telling him to go for it.

Why is he stressing out about this? Wanda isn't awake yet, and he doesn't have to tell her as soon as she wakes up. He has plenty of time to tell her. He still has the rest of his life to tell her, so he isn't going to stress about this. He doesn't even need to be thinking of himself. He needs to think about Wanda and when she'll wake up, which Bucky hopes is soon.

He is staying at the hospital with her until she wakes up, and he hasn't a clue when that will be. Steve and Natasha dropped by with Allie and talked with Bucky for a little bit:

"You're what?" Natasha asks.

"What? What are you talking about?" Bucky asks, taking a bite of chicken from the Chinese food they brought him.

"You know what I'm talking about. Your feelings?" Nat says.

"Steve! Why did you tell her? You know how they talk," Bucky scolds Steve who is sitting quietly, eating his Chinese food.

"It'll be okay, Bucky. I won't say anything. I know how important this is for you, and I'm not going to mess things up for you," Nat says. "But you should tell her as soon as possible."

"I can't do that, Nat!" Bucky whisper yells in between his glances from Nat to Wanda.

"Why not? You never know what could happen between the both you."

"Two reasons. One, I'm pretty sure she won't be concerned about my feelings for her when she wakes up. Two, she's my partner and friend, and I can't mess something like what we have up. I almost did one time, and I don't plan on doing that again," Bucky explains.

Natasha sits back in the chair and crosses her arms. "You know the two of you never explained all the details behind you two hooking up and then not speaking to each other for a month after Wanda was shot the first time."

"Well, I'm not saying anything to either of you unless it was okay with Wanda."

"Fair enough."

Bucky nods and rubs his eyes. He looks at Wanda in the hospital bed and glances at Aliana. She is playing with a few toys she brought to the hospital and singing a little song that could melt permafrost hearts. She moves a stand of her, now, brunette hair behind her ear and continues to sing to her toys. Bucky watches her for a little bit longer and smiles because Allie is home. Allie is safe.

"Have you thought about dyeing her hair back blonde?" Bucky asks.

"Yea. We asked her if she wants to be blonde again, and she is on board. We just haven't took her to get it done yet. She's only three, so we're not sure how she'll handle the bleach, but we found this great hairstylist who is great with kids and very gentle. We might take her there when Wanda wakes up," Steve utters a response. "I still can't believe she has brown hair. It's been something to get used to. Everything has, not just the hair."

"What do you mean?"

"She is terrified to go to bathroom by herself. She used to be perfectly fine with going to the bathroom, but she won't use it unless someone goes with her. She's also afraid to go to sleep. She's been sleeping with Natasha and me since she got home, but I can't blame her," Steve says.

Allie walks over to Steve and tugs on his sleeve. "Daddy?"

"What is it, Poppy?"

"Will Wanda wake up?"

Steve picks his daughter up and settles her on his knee with a smile. "Of course she will. She has to see you again, right?"

"Yea!" Allie cheers. "The last time she saw me wasn't for a long time, and I didn't like that."

"You didn't?" Steve asks.

"Nope," Allie shakes her head. "She told me to run as soon as she found me. But that's because the bad guys was going to hurt me again. She found me, daddy. I want her to be okay."

Bucky kneels down in front of her and grabs her tiny hands. She squeezes his hands when he does this, which gives Bucky a warm feeling inside. "Your Aunt Wanda is going to be just fine."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda smiles when she opens her eyes. Her room is dark except for the television, which is playing an episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Bucky's favorite show. She turns her head and sees him with his head laying on the left side of her bed. HIs hand is holding onto her arm, and he is lightly snoring. Wanda doesn't know how long she's been out of it. She doesn't know how long Bucky has been here with her. Is Allie okay? Are Steve and Natasha okay? So many questions bounce around in her head, but she can't really think about them all at the same time. She feels a burning, sharp pain in her chest. She doesn't know if she should call the nurse or wake Bucky. So she tries to ignore it. It is a serious bullet wound, after all. She doesn't think her chest pain is being caused by anything else than that. She shifts in the bed and lifts her left arm up, resting it on Bucky's head. She plays with his hair and scratches his scalp.

Why is she doing this? Why is doing this to James, of all people, giving her sparks of electricity and butterflies in her stomach?

His legs start to shift in his seat, and she removes her hand from his hair. He sits up slowly with his eyes still closed until he brings his hands to rub the crusty sleep from the corners of his eyes. He yawns and stretches before turning to look at her.

"Still sleepy?" Wanda asks with a faint smile on her face.

The surprise on his face makes Wanda's smile grow. "I could ask you the same thing."

Wanda laughs and tries to sit up. She groans out in pain and grabs at the wound on her chest. Bucky is quick to stand up and try to help her to where she will be more comfortable and in less pain. "Do you want me to get a nurse?"

"No," Wanda responds. "I'm okay."

"Are you sure," Bucky asks.

"Yea. Thank you."

Bucky scoots his chair closer to Wanda and tries to get comfortable. He props his feet up at the end of Wanda's bed and rests his arm beside hers. Now she feels a tension in the room that she hasn't felt with him in a long time. They were still in the police academy when she felt this tension with him, but she can't think about that right now. She's in the damn hospital with a gunshot wound in her chest. She doesn't even know the full extent of her injury because she's been asleep for what she feels like an eternity. She tries to snap out of it, but when she was out these last few days, she could've sworn she had an epiphany about her life and the people in it.

But she glances at Bucky who is watching TV, and she can feel her heart skip a beat. Hopefully the heart monitor they have her hooked up to doesn't pick that up.

Bucky catches her looking at him and smiles when she quickly looks away. This goes on for a few minutes before FRIENDS goes off. Bucky turns his head to look at Wanda.

"What?" Wanda asks.

"Nothing," Bucky says. "I'm really happy you're okay. And I'm really happy to see you smile again. How do feel?"

"Well, I'm in a little bit of pain, but it's nothing I haven't experienced before," Wanda responds.

Bucky chuckles and shakes his head. "No. I mean, how are you feeling emotionally. You seem like you are in a good mental state, but you tell me."

"I am surprisingly happy right now. I guess it's a new found appreciation for life. This whole last month has really opened my eyes, and I can't help but feel more excited about tomorrow than I used to," Wanda explains.

"Well that's good," He says, turning his head to look at the TV again. Wanda finds herself staring at him again. He's leaning against the back of the chair, and his arm is laying beside hers on the bed. He looks more at ease for the first time in a very long time.

She watches him close his eyes and lean his head back, and she decides to take a little risk. She's not sure how James will take this, but she wants to try something. She knows she can do it, but she just can seem to move her hand. Finally, she takes a deep breath and moves her pinky finger, as if it were an inch worm. Her hand gets a little closer to his, and his eyes are still closed. She does it again, carefully, trying not to get caught until she wants to get caught. Finally, her hand is laying extremely close to his, and he doesn't even notice until she uses her pinky finger to push her hand on top of his. Before she looks at his reaction, she locks her fingers with his. She decides not to look at him because she knows if James didn't want to be sitting here holding her hand, then he would pull his hand away.

James, on the other hand, is feeling his heart beat really fast, and he wonders if Wanda's is doing the same thing. He looks at her with a large grin on his face. She doesn't look back at him, but the smile on her face lets him know.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Location: Rogers' Residence  
Date: September 10, 2017  
Time: 8:01 p.m.

Bucky and Natasha are standing in the kitchen, straightening up after a little celebration they decided to have for Allie. The crowd has gotten a little bigger since the last time Steve and Natasha hung out with their friends. They couldn't have a celebration for Allie without Wanda, Bucky, Peter, Clint, and Sam, who have all become really close friends with the three of them since Allie's disappearance. They've all become like family to the three of them.

Natasha smirks when she notices Bucky staring at Wanda, who is speaking to Sam just outside the kitchen. She is laughing at something Sam says, which happens a lot, and Bucky can feel his pulse grow stronger.

Nat gently nudges Bucky with her elbow, grabbing his attention. "Have you two gotten together, yet? Everybody is tired of waiting for it to happen."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Don't act, Barnes. Steve is my husband, and he tells me everything. Wanda is my best friend, so I already know enough about your relationship to her. You might as well give up the fight right now because I will not let you leave here tonight single. Tell me," Nat threatens, making Bucky chuckle.

"We've already discussed how a relationship will mess up our partnership, so we aren't going into anything yet," Bucky explains.

Bucky didn't want to go into the details of what happened a few nights after Wanda came home from the hospital, but Nat is right when she says that Bucky is in love with Wanda. Bucky even knows that Wanda is in love with him too. So why aren't they together?

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky walks through the threshold of his apartment where he finds Wanda laying down on the couch. She wasn't allowed back at work until she recovered completely. She sits up when she hears the door open, and she flashes her pearly whites at him when she sees him. He takes a seat in the chair beside the couch and takes his shoes off.

"Busy day?" Wanda asks.

"No. It was kind of boring without you there today. I couldn't work with Sam because he had a workshop to go to, so I was stuck doing paperwork all day," Bucky answers.

"Aww. I'm sorry. Hopefully, I can go back to work next week, and you won't have to be bored anymore," Wanda says.

Bucky smiles and moves next to her when she scoots over and pats the seat next to her. He leans back on the couch puts his arm around Wanda. Since she woke up and came home from the hospital, Wanda and Bucky have been a little bit more confident in their gestures of attraction towards each other. Wanda would wear her hair down, knowing he loves it that way. She's not proud of it, but she would wear shorter skirts and dresses to show off her legs. Bucky would only wear a towel after he showers or walk into the apartment with his sweaty shirt hanging around his neck knowing that Wanda would sneak a peek. They know they didn't have to dress certain ways to get each others' attention. They could do something as little as smile at one another to get each other's hearts pumping faster, but that's besides the point. Wanda and Bucky know they have feelings for one another, but they still aren't together.

"I don't want you worrying about work right now. You need to focus on getting better," Bucky tells her.

Wanda sits up and moves a little closer to him. "But I am feeling so much better. I'm bored sitting here all day."

"Well, next week, you won't be," Bucky says.

"I've missed being with you all day," She says.

Their proclamations of love for each other has also grown more confident to the two of the them. A month ago, Wanda wouldn't have said this to anyone. It was like they were lovesick puppies right now, but they still didn't know if they should get together. The feelings they give each other makes each of the giddy on the inside, but they have been partners at the Brooklyn Police Department before they even started working there. It was something neither of them wanted to lose. It's so awful to think about too because they could also be missing out on what they both have been looking for for years. They just never given thought to each other before. They have acted out of lust before, though, and they still managed to stay partners and friends. Maybe being a couple wouldn't be so bad, but it's too hard to tell right now.

"Are you bored right now?" Bucky asks.

"No. I'm feeling something else," Wanda answers.

"Really? Like what?" Bucky asks.

Wanda doesn't say anything. She is melted in the electricity of his eyes. She lays her hand on his, like she did in the hospital. He is staring back at her with hunger. She leans forward slowly, looking for any sign that he doesn't want any part of what she's about to do. So far, so good. Her lips brush up against his before she closes her eyes and connects their lips together. Bucky isn't surprised by the move. He knows what he wants, and he knows what Wanda wants. He doesn't even hesitate to move his lips with hers.

The last time they kissed wasn't very long ago. It wasn't even a month ago, but they both agree that it feels like it's been forever since they last kissed each other. Bucky savors this moment. He savors her smell, her touch, the way her lips feel and taste against his. She pulls away for a moment to prop herself on his lap before she kisses him again, feeling more comfortable in this position. He places his hands around her waist and squeezes her gently. He moves his hands up and down her sides, which sends shivers throughout her body.

She opens her mouth against his and lets him sneak his tongue past her lips to find her tongue. Bucky has always been a really good kisser; Wanda knows from experience. He flicks his tongue against hers and rolls his tongue against her, which makes Wanda squeal with excitement. This is how a woman who just got out of the hospital with a gunshot wound should be treated when she comes home. Bucky enjoys her reaction so much that he does this a few more time, which causes Wanda to grind down on him.

Wanda pulls away from the kiss with heavy breaths. "You always have a surprise don't you?"

"That's just the beginning of it, doll," Bucky answers as he begins to plant kisses on her jaw. She moves her head to allow more access to her neck. Bucky scatters kisses along her neck, biting into the skin a little bit to leave a faint purple mark. Wanda's mouth opens and a small moan escapes her lips when he finds a sweet spot. She runs her fingers through his hair and moves her hips against his. Bucky grasps her hips and stands up, picking Wanda up with him and carrying her to his bedroom. He gently lays her down on the bed and removes his shirt.

"I want you, James."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I know you both slept together, again, the other night," Nat says, bringing Bucky out of his memory of the other night.

"Why do you talk to each other about everything? Do you tell Wanda everything about your sex life with Steve?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? I know about her sex life, and she knows about mine."

"Is that all you talk about?"

"No! What do you think we are? Men?" Natasha jokes.

"Steve and I don't talk about having sex with you or Wanda," Bucky tries to defend himself with this statement, but Natasha isn't stupid. She knows because Steve tells her. That's a benefit to her marriage with Steve. They never keep secrets from each other. Natasha will ask Steve what he and Bucky were talking about before she walked in, and Steve will flat out tell her, "Sex."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Barnes. You just need to tell me whether or not you are gonna try to get this thing between you and Wanda going tonight. Even Aliana is tired of waiting on you two. Just go up to her and tell her that you love her, and you want to be together," Natasha says.

"I can't just say that-"

"Why not? It's not like she doesn't know it already. She's just waiting on you to instigate it. She's too scared to, and she knows that you aren't as afraid to as she is," Natasha explains.

"How do you know this?" Bucky asks.

"I told you that we don't just talk about sex didn't I? Now go tell her how you feel in real words. Be blunt," Nat says.

"But what if she won't-"

"Buck? You gotta stop," Steve says, inserting himself into the conversation. He was standing at the sink doing dishes the whole time, and Bucky didn't even think about Steve standing behind him. "You better do what my wife says."

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will humiliate you in front all your friends and co-workers and goddaughter and ask her out for you," Natasha threatens. "I can be very blunt about it, but I think it would mean more to her if you did it yourself."

Bucky sighs and looks over at Wanda again. She is still talking to Sam, but he catches her glancing over at him every once in a while. Natasha's right. He need to do this because he really wants to be with her, and she really wants to be with him. Screw all this other shit.

"Okay. I'll do it. Just give me a second," Bucky says.

He practices what he's going to say in his head for a moment. He sees Sam walk away from Wanda, and Bucky sees his opportunity.

"Here goes nothing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! Much love! Not much left to write.
> 
> P.S. I'm sorry this storytelling is kind of messy. I've been so busy, and I haven't kept up with it, but I promise I have other great things up my sleeve. I also want to apologize for the sudden change in attitude of Wanda. I hope her waking up in the hospital maybe clarified how different she's supposed to be as a character now. I would also like to apologize for some open-ended-ness in the story. I know I still have things to address in the story, but I want to put it together neater than what I am, and it's not gonna happen.
> 
> Thank you all for being so amazing!


	12. Somebody To Love: September 15, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky and Wanda feel the love urges again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the cute/fluffy/lovey-dovey stuff. Plus, adding in some naughty things. Hope you all like it!

It is really hard to live with the person you are in love with. Wanda and Bucky know this for a fact. Since Wanda was released from the hospital, things have been weird between the two of them. Wanda feels the weirdness, and she doesn't know how to feel about it. She wants to talk to Bucky about it, especially after Steve and Sam gave her advice on how to get Bucky to give this relationship a chance. She won't lie when she says she is hesitant about jumping into a relationship with Bucky especially right after the month they just had, but she's more ready than Bucky, for some reason.

"Good morning," Bucky greets her from the kitchen when she reaches the end of the hallways and stretches.

She moans at a sudden sharp pain and gently presses the wound on her chest. She stands there for a minutes while the pain subsides and sees Bucky staring at her with a worried expression on his face. She walks over next to him and opens the cabinet, trying to reach for a mug on the very top shelf, which is too far for her to reach even on her tippy toes.

Bucky reaches up and grabs the single mug from the top shelf, setting it in her tiny hands.

"Thank you," she says.

"You okay?"

"Yea. I'm fine. I just got a sharp pain in my chest. The doctor said that would happen every once in a while," Wanda explains.

"Even though it's been a few weeks?" Bucky asks disbelievingly.

"Yea. I'm still supposed to be taking it easy, but it's getting better," Wanda says. She looks at Bucky who is giving her a look that she can read as if it were a children's novel. He doesn't believe her. He is worried about her, but she's being honest. "I promise."

"Alright," Bucky says, pouring himself a mug of coffee and taking a seat at a round dining room table. Wanda follows suit and sits next to him. She sips on her coffee carefully and glances at him.

This. This is what she means by things being weird between the two of them. He's not even looking at her, and she begins to question whether Bucky has feelings for her at all. She remembers the awkward conversation at Steve and Nat's house the other night...

===

"You sure you're gonna be okay missing work for awhile?" Sam asks her.

"Yea. I'll be fine. I'll be bored, but I won't be stuck in a hospital bed. So that helps a lot," Wanda responds.

Sam looks past her head into the kitchen where she find Bucky staring at them He is talking to Natasha, but who knows if he's even listening to her. His eyes are glued to the woman standing in front of him. He smirks and leans in to Wanda's ear and whispers, "Your boy can't keep his eyes off you. He hasn't stopped looking at you since he walked in the kitchen."

Wanda feels her cheeks rouge as she nonchalantly turns her head and sees her partner's steel blue eyes quickly turn their attention to the redhead wiping off the counter top.

"And your point is?" Wanda asks.

"He hasn't stopped looking at you all night. He likes you," Sam teases.

"What? No he doesn't. We're just friends and partners. Nothing more," Wanda responds.

"Wanda, everyone and their mother can see how much he likes you," Sam says. Wanda glances at Bucky again who has his attention turned to Nat. She has a smirk on her face, and Wanda wonders if she's mentioning her little tryst with Bucky a few nights ago. "What do people say when they meet you and Bucky? Tell me the truth."

"They say we make a cute couple," Wanda mumbles, hiding the red threatening to burn her cheeks in fluster again.

"See. Everyone can see it. Why can't you?" Sam says.

"I don't know," Wanda replies. "It's not like I've never thought about it before, but we've always had an amazing friendship. I don't want to mess that up by letting feelings get in the way. James feels the same way I do, so we aren't together."

At this point, Sam changes the conversation, much to Wanda's relief. She doesn't want to talk about her relationship with James anymore. If it's not Nat, it's Steve. If it's not Steve, it's Sam. It's always someone who is bringing it up. The only person who doesn't bring it up is James, and he's the only person that she wishes would bring it up.

Her heart skips a beat just thinking about James. Sam isn't wrong, and Wanda knows he isn't. His feelings for her are too obvious for her to ignore even before their sexual tryst. Wanda doesn't want to seem conceited, but when she looks back at the times James would be caught staring at her in their office at the police station, or the times James would "act differently" when he would ask what she is doing on their day off, and she would tell him that she had a date. She remembers how he was there for her more than anybody when her grandmother passed away months ago. She remembers last Christmas, when he got her that necklace she'd been eyeing for months beforehand. He wasn't even her boyfriend, and he did that for her. But he never did that for Natasha. He never did that with Steve. He never did that Connie, an officer who James dated for a five month period. Wanda never did find out why they broke up. James didn't bother to tell her. All she knows is how different her relationship with Connie has been ever since.

"Here goes nothing," Bucky says, taking a deep breath before walking up to the gorgeous brunette.

"What's up? You okay?" are the first word to come out of Wanda's mouth.

"Uhhh... y-yeah. I... uhh... I-"

"Are you sure you're okay? I've never heard you...studder before," Wanda says.

"I was just wondering when you are ready to leave," Bucky says, mentally face palming himself. What an idiot.

"Are you ready? I'm ready whenever you are," She responds. "I just want to say goodnight to everybody before we go."

"Okay."

Wanda walks away, leaving Bucky by himself. He's beating himself up because he tried to be cool around Wanda, but he, instead, ended up being a studdering mess, which is not who he is, especially around Wanda.

Natasha walks up behind him and pats him on the back. "Smooth, Bucky. Real smooth."

"Shut up," He demands, but his voice gets quieter. "I got nervous."

The smile on Nat's face grows. "Aww! You must really love her. Bucky Barnes doesn't get nervous around females."

"Well this female is different."

Wanda walks up to Steve, who is holding Allie, and gives them both a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight. James and I are heading out."

"Goodnight, Wanda!" Allie cheers, jumping out of her father's arms and giving the woman a hug. "I love you!"

"I love you too, sweet girl!" Wanda says, hugging her back.

Allie runs off, leaving Steve and Wanda alone. Steve is staring at Wanda with that look he gives anybody when he knows something that no one else knows. Wanda's a detective, so she knows these looks.

"What? Why are you staring at me?" Wanda asks.

"I'm not staring at you."

"Well, you're looking at me with that look that you know something that I don't know. So you either tell me or stop looking at me like that," Wanda says.

"I'm not giving you that look," Steve defends himself. Wanda crosses her arms and gives him her look that says, "You better tell me what you know; otherwise, I'll use my gun."

"What do you want from me? It's late, and I'm ready to go to bed," Steve says.

"Do you know why James is acting so weird?" Wanda asks.

"No body knows why Bucky is acting weird, not even Bucky," Steve says. "I might know a few things, but I can't tell you. Bucky will tell you when he's ready to tell you."

"You're a horrible friend," Wanda says.

"What? For keeping my best friend's secret? I consider that to be a good friend quality," Steve says.

"I'm leaving," Wanda says with a hint of a laugh in her voice. Steve smiles, and as she begins to walk away, Steve stops her one more time.

"Wanda?"

"What?"

"Just go for it. I promise you'll get the results you want."

===

"Just go for it," Wanda whispers to herself.

"What?" Bucky asks.

Wanda doesn't even hesitate. She sets her mug on the table and quickly wraps her arms around his neck and her legs on either side of his lap. She doesn't even give him a chance to finish his question as she presses her lips over his. She can feel Bucky tense for a split second before relaxing beneath her. He falls into the kiss and rests his hands on her hips.

This kiss already feels different. This kiss feels more real. Yes, Bucky and Wanda are great kissers, but it's possible they both could've fallen into the nervous trap that left their last encounter of the lips feel a bit awkward. Wanda smiles and pulls her lips away from her best friend. Bucky's eyes show a mixture of brightness and darkness, and Wanda doesn't doubt that her eyes look the same way.

"You okay?" He asks.

What a fucking dork?

"Yes! You idiot! I fucking love you, okay?" Wanda says.

Bucky's face goes through a million emotions from confusion to joy. "Really?"

"Of course! Why would I say it if I didn't mean it? Or are other girls just jumping in your lap, kissing you, and confessing their love for you too?" Wanda jokes.

Bucky cocks his head to the side and winks when he says, "It only happened three other times."

Wanda giggles as Bucky continues to say, "But I never returned their feelings. I'm in love with another girl. A really beautiful, strong woman who also happens to be my best friend and roommate."

Goodness. What a cheese ball. But his line still makes Wanda's face firetruck red. She holds his face in her hands and brings his lips closer to hers.

"Make love to me, James," Wanda says leaning in. She swipes her tongue across Bucky's top lip and closes her mouth around his lips. She does this much again, but she does it a little more passionately, earning a moan from Bucky. The vibrations of his moan can be felt throughout her mouth. He runs his tongue over hers again and again, and Wanda can't remember the last time a kiss felt this good.

His grip on her hips tighten, allowing him to scoop her up in his arms. He carries her to his room where he closes the door and pushes her up against the wall. She gasps when he does this, but this is just the beginning.

He removes his lips from hers and starts peppering kisses along her jawline and down her neck. He takes one free hand to move her hair off her shoulder and pull the sleeve of her t-shirt down. He leaves open-mouth kisses on her clavicle, and he sinks his teeth in the skin of her shoulder. Wanda shudders and tugs Bucky's hair when he does this, and the heat between her legs intensifies. She latches her fingers in the fabric of his grey t-shirt and kisses his neck in return. She gently bites down on Bucky's earlobe, rolling the lobe around between her teeth.

Bucky lays her down on the bed, and she watches as he stands up to take his t-shirt off. Wanda has seen his body before. She has seen his body multiple times, but she knows she will never get tired of seeing it. Bucky is in exceptionally good shape, and Wanda can't help but feel her cheeks tint a darker shade of red when he gives her the million dollar smirk. He climbs on the bed on top of her, laying one hand on her rib cage and the other on the junction between her shoulder and neck.

"I love you so much, Wanda. You have no idea," He says as he's kissing Wanda's neck.

Wanda sighs and tugs his hair. She gives him an open mouthed smile. Full of pleasure and joy, she grabs his face and looks at him. "I love you too, James."

Bucky starts playing with the hem of her long t-shirt, slowly grazing his hand up her thigh, and raising the fabric higher and higher up her silky smooth legs. She starts poking the planes of his abs, grabbing a giggle from his stomach, which Wanda can listen to all day. He's so cute.

"Are you ticklish?" Wanda asks, poking him again.

"Stop," Bucky giggles some more. He grabs her hands and pins them above her head. "It's hard to make love to you when you want to poke me."

"I'm sorry," Wanda says with a fake pout on her face. "I just wanted to see you smile."

Bucky gives her what she wants and flashes his pearly whites at her before going to work on the little pair of shorts Wanda is wearing under the t-shirt. He dips his fingers inside her shorts and slides them down her legs (which Bucky has a new found appreciation of). He throws them across the room and takes her shirt off of her next. He tosses that aside and takes a moment to really look at her.

The last time Bucky and Wanda engaged in sex, he didn't take his time to really take her in. It was quick, and it was in the heat of the moment. Some would say this is another "heat of the moment" situation, but it's not. Bucky and Wanda have finally told each other they love each other. It's so much better now. It feels so much better now.

Her moans are more sultry and filled with pleasure, sending electricity through Bucky's body. He works on taking her shorts and panties off. He kisses her hips and grabs her thighs, planting kisses all over them. He moves his lips closer and closer to where she wants him the most. He notices her breathing get more ragged as he gets closer. He smirks against her leg, loving this effect he is having on her. He plants a kiss on her center causing Wanda to squirm underneath him. He skillfully uses his fingers to rub her clit, which really starts to get her going. 

"James," She lets out a breathy moan.

Bucky knows exactly what she wants, and he doesn't think twice about giving her what she wants. He lowers his mouth and glances at her. Her chest heaving as he teasingly flicks his tongue against her. Her hands gripping the sheets on either side of her. She is starting to get frustrated, and Bucky can tell just by the way she moans.

"Pick up the pace, James!" She says after another sultry moan.

"I just want to enjoy you, Wanda," Bucky responds.

"Well you can do that without teasing me," She counters.

Bucky laughs and decides that she's right, so he goes all in. His mouth is around her, while is tongue explores further. She sounds so beautiful, and Bucky can feel his pants getting tighter. Wanda pushes her hands through his hair and pulls on it and plays with it while he plays with her. He starts to creep a finger up her thigh, and she doesn't even notice his fingers are there until he pushes one past her entrance. She groans in ecstasy and starts moving her hips with his movements. He uses his other hand to hold her hips still, massaging the bone.

"Oh, James!" She groans.

"You taste so sweet, baby doll," Bucky says with sex practically dripping from his voice. "So so good."

Bucky pushes another finger inside her and curls his fingers up, rubbing against that one spot that makes her lose all control over her body. He thrusts his fingers in and out and sucks on her clit in the process. Wanda is seeing stars. Nobody has ever made her feel as good as Bucky does. Even when they slept together fifteen years ago. She's never had a lay like Bucky.

She feels her muscles tense up even more. Bucky must notice this because he removes his fingers and lips from her, earning a frustrated groan. Bucky makes it up to her though. He pushes his lips over hers, letting her taste everything he got to. Wanda bucks her hips against his, slowly grinding her wet center against his clothed, hard cock. Bucky groans in her mouth, allowing her to take over.

Wanda smile as she pulls away from the amazing kiss. She grinds herself agianst him again, and he lays his forehead on hers.

"You need help with that, James?" Wanda asks.

"I don't think I will if you keep doing that."

"C'mere."

Wanda wraps her arms around him and starts to kiss his neck. She reaches down and far as she can to his pants and pulls those down with the help of Bucky. Her hands explore the canvas of his back. She feels every muscle tighten as she does this, and she is more turned on than ever. Her hands go further down to squeeze his butt cheeks. Bucky pushes his hips against hers this time, and Wanda is caught off guard...but in a good way.

They both move so that Wanda is now straddling Bucky's hips. He is leaning against the wall behind him, watching her as she kisses every inch of skin on his torso. He feels himself getting more and more excited the further down she does. She kisses the part between his cock and hips, and his heart is beating out of his chest.

Wanda takes him in her hand and slowly moves her hand up and down. Bucky is a moaning mess at this point, and Wanda loves to hear it. She presses her thumb to tip, and before she takes him in her mouth, she looks up him with her bright green eyes, which are more clouded with lust than way before. Bucky watches as Wanda's mouth covers the top of his cock. Her eyes haven't left him, but he doesn't even notice. The more Wanda takes in, the harder it is for him to concentrate. But it's an amazing sight for her to see. His head is leaning against the wall as she starts bobbing her head. His eyes flutter closed, and his mouth is open. She watches as he bites his lips to hold back the amount of pleasure.

Wanda turns her attention more towards what is in her mouth now. She thinks about how beautiful he is in this state. She loves everything about it, and she wonders why it's taken her this long to realize how in love she is with Bucky. Before she can think anymore, her head is being pulled up Bucky.

Before she can even ask, he turns them back around and lines his cock with her entrance. Before he pushes in, Bucky looks at Wanda's eyes again. She smiles at him, and he swears he's a fool. Something so simple as a smile from her can turn him into a mess. His heart is pounding out of his chest, and he wonders how she feels about this.

Bucky intertwines his fingers with Wanda's and presses another kiss to her lips. At the same time he slowly pushes in. They moan in each others mouths as Bucky smoothly and slowly glides his hips along hers.

Fireworks are going off in Wanda's head. She feels nothing but pure pleasure, joy, happiness, excitement. She feels so good about herself. Bucky feels the same way. She fits around him like she was made for him, and he loves seeing her in such a state. He absolutely loves the way she squeezes his hand to tell him that he can move.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wanda screams in pleasure along with Bucky who lets out a raspy groan. They came at the same time, Bucky was just thrusting through their highs. When he is done, Bucky rests his head on Wanda's shoulder. He has never had sex like that before. That wasn't sex, if Bucky is being honest. That was love making, which is something he had never done before.

Wanda starts playing with his hair. He loves the feeling of her fingernails scratching his scalp. It almost takes away the pain she gave him from scratching his back.

Bucky sits up and leans against the wall. Wanda curls into his side and wraps her arms around him, pecking his body.

"I love you so much, James," Wanda says.

"I love you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed! The next chapter will be the last for this story. But I do have more ideas up my sleeve. Much love!


	13. Season's In the Sun: October 5, 2017

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda gets news that scares her. Bucky and Steve talk about parenthood since Allie came home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter. I know I've waited for such a long time to post this, but I've been so busy with school, and home life, and everything. I haven't had time, but I will have time to create more stories. I hope you all like this chapter. It really wraps up everything (as an ending should).

"How is my goddaughter now that she's been home for a month?" Bucky asks his best friend, carrying the sleeping three year old in his arms.

"She is perfect. She does have a little bit of separation anxiety, but I don't blame her. Nat and I have a little bit of separation anxiety when it comes to her too, but everything is slowly going back to normal," Steve responds.

"Her blonde hair is starting to grow back," Bucky notices.

"Yea. She's excited about that," Steve smiles. "She's so positive about everything. I don't know where she got it from."

Bucky smiles and glances at the child in her father's arms. She looks so comfortable in Steve's arms, and Bucky wonders if he'll be able to carry a child of his own in his arms one day. His smile gets a little wider as he thinks about it. He's in his thirties, and he knows what he wants. He wants a family. Even after everything that just happened with Allie in August, he wants his own little one running around at some point. He just doesn't know who will be willing to give him that.

He and Wanda are very much in love. They expressed that plenty of time to each other, and Bucky can't be happier to finally have her as more than a friend and a partner. He loves wrapping his arms around her when she falls asleep on him and listening to her breathe. But with their history, he doesn't know if it will be possible for Wanda to give him what he wants. She's never expressed her thoughts on having children. She loves children, sure, but there's a difference in that and being a mother for Wanda.

And Bucky understands this, but he knows what he wants.

"I think she gets it from you. You've always been a positive person. Even when we were little," Bucky says. "I know she doesn't get it from Natasha."

Steve chuckles, "You better not let Nat hear you say that."

"I know. She'll kick my ass twice for that."

Steve and Bucky laugh and walk into Steve's house. Bucky closes the door behind him and follows Steve in the living room where Steve gently lays his daughter on the couch. Steve and Bucky take a seat in chairs facing opposite each other.

"How have you and Wanda been?" Steve asks.

"Great. We haven't been 'together' together for long, but when I'm with her, it feels like we have been," Bucky responds.

"Aww. Sweet," Steve pokes fun of his best friend.

"Oh hush! I remember what you'd say when you would talk about Nat. It was everything and more."

"Fine. Fine. I'll stop picking on you. I know how hard it's been for you to find someone like her. I'm just happy you two are finally together. It took too long. I wasn't even sure if you two would get together after what happened the first time you two hooked up."

"I didn't even think we would sleep together the first time. It just kinda happened."

"How did it happen again? Because I was sure Wanda was disgusted at the idea of sleeping with you at that time," Steve says.

"She wasn't disgusted!" Bucky argues. "She just knew my track record."

It's true that Bucky had a long list of one night stands when he was younger. It was easy for him to find a woman to take home for one night, especially when he was wearing his uniform. And while he was looking for someone to maybe settle down with, he never quite pictured himself in a long term relationship with any of the women he slept with when he was younger. That was until his late night tryst with Wanda.

"Wanda grew really attached to a case we had when we first joined the force. A woman was in a relationship with a serial abuser, and Wanda and I would have to go to this couple's house about every other weekend. We take this guy in multiple times, and we learn that he's had a history of domestic assault with four other women in the past. But he never got jail time because that woman would drop the charges. Wanda gives the woman her personal number one day, and the boyfriend finds out about it, and he's pissed. So pissed that he literally beats the woman to death. Wanda feels so guilty about it because she has gotten to know the woman, and she feels that she is the reason this woman died. She was talking to me about it one night, and she cries. And she tells me about how her own mother was in an abusive relationship. She said she didn't believe in a good man. That's why she joined the police academy. Things get a little bit more sentimental between the two of us, and the next thing I know, she's sitting on my lap, and we're making out," Bucky says. "Then things get steamier and more passionate from there."

"Sounds like she trusted you even though she doesn't believe in a good man," Steve says.

"Yea? I think we both really needed to blow off some steam. What better way to?"

"And then?"

"Yea. You know the rest."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh my God! Are you serious?" Natasha exclaims.

"As serious as I'll ever be."

"Wanda! How do you feel about this? Are you happy?"

"I don't know. I don't know how to feel about this," Wanda responds.

"I'm happy for you! Steve will be happy for you! Bucky will definitely be happy for you!" Natasha exclaims wrapping her arms around her glowing best friend.

"I don't even know how I'm gonna tell James. I haven't even thought about how I'm going to tell James. What if he hates me like he did last time? What if it don't work out like last time? I don't know if I can go through that again, Nat," Wanda says, tears stinging her eyes.

Natasha pouts when she looks at Wanda and wipes away a stray tear from her cheek. "Everything is going to be okay. All of us will make sure of it. You are not going to suffer again, okay?"

Wanda nods, but she doesn't feel better. She doesn't know what she needs right now. This news is causing her emotions to already be out of wack.

"Miss Maximoff, I assure you that I will also do everything in my power to make sure you will do this in a healthy manner. It's my job to care about my patients," The doctor says.

"See? Even the doctor says she'll take care of you. Does that help?" Natasha asks.

No. "Yea. That helps a little bit."

"It would help you a whole lot more if you were to tell the father," The doctor advises. "Are you still in contact with him?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Natasha and Wanda walk through the threshold of the Rogers' home, Wanda is still wiping tears from her eyes. She has been crying over this news all day, and it's too late to try to hide it from James because she couldn't control her emotions on the way over here. The closer Natasha got to her home, the more nervous Wanda got. She doesn't think she's ready for this.

But she looks in the living room and sees James playing with Allie in the floor. She is giggling as James is tickling her and making lots of funny noises. Wanda's heart nearly melts at the sight, and she feels the wetness return to her eyes. The sound of Allie's giggles along with the crazy sounds coming from James completely changes her mood. Wanda is so happy to see the little girl laughing at her Uncle Bucky like she did before she was kidnapped by a crazed man and his insane father.

"Steve must be upstairs. I'll be right back," Nat says. Wanda nods and listens to the footsteps of her best friend grow fainter and fainter.

The panic settles in again. James and Allie have stopped playing when they finally notice the return of the women. Wanda sees Bucky's happy expression quickly turn to worry. He picks Allie up off the floor and settles her down on the couch.

"I'll be right back, okay? You stay here until your mommy or daddy come back," Bucky tells her.

"Okay," Allie replies as she pays her attention to watching cartoons that was already on the television, suggested by Steve, the big man-child.

Bucky gently grabs Wanda's arm and pulls her into the kitchen where he can still see Allie in the living room. He notices Wanda's teary eyes and doesn't know what to say. What else can be going wrong? Is she okay? What is going on?

"What's the matter?" Bucky asks with genuine concern.

"It's nothing? Seeing you and Allie playing together was really cute, and it got a little overwhelming considering how the last few months have gone for her. It makes me happy," Wanda explains. She isn't completely lying. Seeing James with Allie really did overwhelm her, which caused her to cry again, but it isn't the complete reason.

"Aww, doll. You're so sweet, but I don't think that's all that's going on," Bucky says.

He can always see right through her.

"So, what's really the matter?"

"James. I-"

"Congratulations, you two!" Steve yells as he walks down the stairs. Bucky is very confused by the sudden outburst from Steve to him.

"What? What are you-" Bucky begins to ask as Steve continues to celebrate.

"Steve!" Nat scolds him. "Shut up."

"Why are you congratulating us?" Bucky asks.

Steve stops his miniature celebration and finally gets a look at Wanda's face. She is not happy with him.

"She must not have told him yet," Steve says, looking at his wife who is giving him a very displeased look. He knows he's in trouble now.

"Tell me? Tell me what? Wanda? What's going on?" Bucky asks.

Wanda sighs. I guess she has no choice but to tell him now. "I was gonna wait until later, but I guess it won't hurt to tell you now."

"What is it?"

Here it goes. The point in her life where she may lose her best friend and partner against crime. She looks at the worried expression in his crystal blue eyes before glancing at the funny looking expressions on her friends' faces. She looks back at James and takes a deep breath.

"I'm pregnant."

It feels like forever, to Wanda, before James responds, but it was only really a few seconds in reality. Her heart is racing in that split second, and she swears she sees every emotion being expressed on his face. Every moment of joy, anger, depression, and loneliness.

Not a lot of people know this about Wanda and James. Hell, it might just be Steve and Nat who know, but when Wanda and James slept together for the first time after joining the police force, Wanda became pregnant. She wasn't sure how she should feel about having a baby with a man that she didn't think she was really in love with at the time, but she grew to love the idea of being a mom and James being a dad. He was always great with kids, so Wanda was sure that everything was going to be okay. Until she and James got a call about a man disturbing the peace in his neighborhood. The two of them went to the house of them poor man whose daughter was missing. They didn't know how unstable he was. They didn't know they would have to draw their weapons. They were trained to handle situations like these in college and at the police academy, but this situation was real. It happened really fast. The man pulled out his weapon and shot, hitting Wanda in the left abdomen. She fell to the ground and didn't remember a thing until she woke up in the hospital bed a few days later.

Wanda remembers the look on James' face when she woke up. His hair was all disheveled, and he had bags under his eyes. He was only twenty-six years old at the time, but he looked older. His eyes and cheeks were puffy and red when she saw him, and she knew he had been crying.

"What's the matter?" She asked him.

Tears welled up in James' eyes as she asked him this.

"James! What's the matter? Is the baby okay? What's the matter?" Wanda begins to panic. Bucky tries to settle her down, but Wanda knows there is no use. She felt empty. She physically felt empty.

So everyone understands, now, why Bucky and Wanda are hesitant. Because after Wanda lost the baby, she and Bucky didn't speak to each other for a while after that. It was so awkward and depressing for Steve and Natasha to be around, and they had to do something. They couldn't have these two people being mad at each other and uncomfortable around each other because of this.

"James?" Wanda asks.

"You're pregnant?" He asks to make sure he's heard her right.

Wanda nods and wraps her arms around his neck. "I'm having a baby."

"Oh my God!" Bucky practically squeals, which triggers the happy emotions of everyone else in the room. "I can't believe it!"

"I know! But it's true. We're having a baby!" Wanda says.

Steve picks little Allie up in his arms, and they all share a hug together.

Everything in life is unexpected. Wanda never expected to find love. She never expected to become a cop, let alone a detective. She never expected to spend the rest of her life with James, but that's the beauty of living. To deal with the unexpected. There is no such thing as expecting the unexpected because life likes to throw curve balls at everyone. The point is to take it one day at a time. You can prepare for certain things. But nothing will ever prepare anyone for the joys of parenthood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you all thought! I really loved writing this story, and I have so many more ideas for stories for Bucky and Wanda. I know it was really cheesy and mushy, but I am so happy with it. Thank you all so much for reading! Much love! xx

**Author's Note:**

> I know we haven't delved into the interesting things yet, but there are seeds planted here. I hope y'all enjoyed, and I will just warn y'all now that I am not a consistent updater, so please don't hate me. I'll work on it as much as I can. Much love!


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